The elections are done and dusted; now the question is what’s up next for the Obama presidency? In a press conference after the democrats’ massive defeat, President Obama didn’t fail to mention he would go solo to act on immigration reform, a move that may not be widely well-received.
Immigration reform is important. I would, for the better, stay away from calling the current system broken, like the President does, but it certainly needs polishing and refining.
According to Pew Research, as of 2006 there are roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. This number is huge to deport, take legal cases against or act upon with law enforcement. To better understand the gravity of what 12 million immigrants means, let us perform a small mathematical calculation. Divide 12 million people by the population of Starkville which is 25,000 (people per town), and you will have 480 towns. There are that many illegal immigrants in the U.S.
The problem with immigration reform is not the bill, but the manner in which it may pass in the coming weeks. President Obama is expected to make an announcement this week and has been heavily briefed by his attorney general and legal advisers on how much executive power he can enforce.
Historically, we have found Obama speaking against excessive use of executive power saying he is not the emperor or the king of the United States to act alone, support of the Congress is a must. Elections are a direct reflection of the mood of the people. They are the most protected and transparent processes in a democracy. I wouldn’t have ever thought I would question Barack Obama on this, but is he really trying to challenge the mandate of the people by acting solo on the bill?
In one response to a question on immigration reform at the G20 summit President Obama said, “There is a very simple solution to this perception that somehow I’m exercising too much executive authority: pass a bill I can sign on this issue. Metaphorically, I’ll crumple up whatever executive actions that we take, and we’ll toss them in the wastebasket because we will now have a law that addresses these issues,” he said.
Everyone who follows what happens in Washington knows a republican-controlled Congress acting on immigration reform is highly unlikely. For the last two years we have seen the bitter bipartisan stand-offs, which have caused major upsets like the government shutdown. Do you really think Congress will pass such a bill?
On the White House website and also in his continuous campaigns, President Obama has spoken about immigration repeatedly. A flyer Obama has well-advertised said, “President Obama’s common-sense immigration reform proposal has four parts — 1) Continue to strengthen border security, 2) Cracking down on employers that hire undocumented workers, 3) Creating a path to earned citizenship, 4) Streamlining our legal immigration system.”
Immigration reform is a necessity. Having 12 million workers paying taxes and working legally is good for the economy. Attracting bright students from all over the world who will be encouraged to work and study in the U. S. can never be a bad idea. People who have lived here long enough and become one with the country should be able to stay here permanently. Very few deny these points; the issue is democracy, due process, equal representation, debate and discussion. That is what makes America what it is.
In a report last year “The Huffington Post” said there could be 40 million Latino voters by the end of 2030 if this reform is a reality.
I believe republicans conclusively won this time because they managed to reach out to people from all sections of the society. They had Nikki Haley in South Carolina for governor; Tim Scott, a republican, became the first African-American Senator from the South for more than a hundred years; as well as Marco Rubio in Florida, to name a few. As I said earlier, republicans have re-invented themselves. Now, President Obama needs to use this as a good political point to score over the republicans and get the immigration reform passed by Congress. There is absolutely no need to counter-manufacture something by going solo as president.
Mr. President, we thank you for a lot of things. To name a few: the killing of Bin-Laden, reviving our economy from the ugly recession in 2008, stabilizing the unemployment rate, nearly ending the war in Afghanistan, making a nuclear deal with Iran, committing to protect allies like Israel, promoting equal civil rights and fighting discrimination in employment. You have done amazing things as president.
In the last two years as the Chief, why do you want to take a step like going alone to pass a major bill that could overshadow every good thing you have done as president? I sincerely hope you reflect on your decision and promote what our ancestors established, a true American Democracy.
