In his attempt to troll the hard right, Obama has actually handed them a wonderful gift by killing comprehensive immigration reform dead. Legislative amnesty is finished, it’s done, it’s pining for the fjords. Conservative Republicans get to finally advance border and enforcement reforms without even dealing with those here illegally! It’s just what the Bob Goodlattes of the world have wanted to do all along: ditch the clunky amnesty tradeoffs and deal with citizenship issues last, only after securing the border. It’s the Republican establishment, consultant and donor classes, and the Chamber who are closest to the blast radius on this, turning anyone viewed as pro-amnesty toxic overnight. They will be viewed by the GOP base as supportive of the president’s overreach despite all denials (“I was in favor of what he did but not how he did it” is always a weak position), which will make for some very awkward defenses in the 2016 stakes.
Yup.
One way this could play out is that GOP primary voters could insist that the nominee promise to reverse Obama’s action, i.e. make 4-5 million immigrants re-eligible for deportation. Such a pledge would make it more difficult for the GOP nominee to win swing states like Florida and Colorado.
What kind of immigrants, Jimbo? Oh yeah, criminals.
Obama’s action does not apply to immigrants convicted of crimes. Simply being here without authorization is a civil violation, not a crime.
Citation?
This appears to be the official web page for the executive order. It links to a DHS memo indicating that undocumented immigrants who’ve been convicted of a felony or “significant misdemeanor”, or three separate misdemeanors, are still considered priorities for deportation.
“Obama’s action does not apply to immigrants convicted of crimes. ”
Sure it does. People with criminal records are not being deported.
To be eligible for DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) and be protected from deportation the immigrant must pass a criminal background check.
Oh Jim, there you go again: confusing what Obama’s actually doing with the crap that comes out of his mouth when he makes speeches to… well, people like you.
Violators of a social contract (a contract in restraint of trade) that they didn’t sign?
You do realize, Jim, that voting isn’t the only way to seize power or abolish it…
You are so correct, Jim. The Clinton Administration deported just one refugee child and blew Al Gore’s chances in Florida . . .
“Conservative Republicans get to finally advance border and enforcement reforms without even dealing with those here illegally!”
Obama would veto any such legislation if it survived a Democrat filibuster. Nothing will stop Democrats importing “diversity” so they can pit one racial group against another. Race relations will continue to worsen as Democrat’s racist ideology is taught in colleges and public schools.
One way to thread this needle is for the Republicans to come up with a pro-immigration bill that a Democratic President is likely to veto. For example, they could charge admission (anybody who pays $1000 can get a green card) or promote immigration from any nation where people are more pro-capitalist than the US. (Vietnam, Bangladesh, and South Korea are at the top.)
How many Republicans can sign such a bill without facing a primary challenge from the right? Expanding legal immigration is a great idea, but it isn’t popular with the Republican base.