President Obama recently announced that he is planning to take executive action to change the U.S. deportation policies as the House has failed to act on immigration reform. He stated that he will act on his own and look into changes he can make to the deportation policy.
The U.S. Senate passed an immigration reform bill one year ago and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) did not allow a vote on that legislation. However, Boehner stated that the House will vote on immigration reform this year and that the House will address the issue in its own way.
Boehner, in a statement, said that it would be tough for the House to move forward on immigration reform as the House does not trust the president. He stated that it is important to fix the southern border. He added that President Obama will not work with the House, that he is looking to use his executive powers and this will not fix the problems the country is facing.
However, President Obama stated that the Republicans must pass a reform legislation if they do not want him to take executive action. He said that he will send more resources to strengthen the border and to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. He has also requested $2 billion from the U.S. Congress to deal with the immigration crisis on the southwest border.
Some technology companies believe that the president would use executive action to reduce the H-1B visa backlog. Many believe that the Obama administration will expand the deferred action program that currently allows certain eligible undocumented youth to remain here and work for a two year period. Some expect him to expand the program to include family members of those who are currently eligible for deferred action status.
Meanwhile, immigration reform advocates and Democrats are urging President Obama to put an end to deportations by making use of executive actions. The White House press secretary Josh Earnest stated that the Obama administration is looking for ways to deal with the population of undocumented immigrants already living here. Earnest said that the president is likely to act on immigration before the election and that he has also asked administrative officials to present him a set of options.