Congressman Steve King [2] (R-IA) said June 15 that President Barack Obama [3]'s plan to issue an executive order implementing (some) policies of the DREAM Act is unconstitutional and announced [4] that he plans to sue the administration to delay implementation. King claims that this executive order would effectively implement a law that was rejected by Congress and, therefore, Obama does not have the power to issue it.
Obama spoke that day [5] following an announcement by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that the department would be exercising "prosecutorial discretion [6]" by not deporting anyone under the age of 30 who was brought here as a child. Obama defended the executive branch's actions, saying that this is not amnesty, immunity, a path to citizenship or a permanent fix, but a "temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people."
Immigration has been a hot button issue in the US lately, especially with a presidential election coming up in November. Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for the release [7] of undocumented immigrants being held in an Arizona [8] prison, alleging that the conditions in the prison are unsanitary and in violation of the US Constitution. Earlier this month, a federal judge heard arguments on whether Arizona citizens can join a class action lawsuit challenging Arizona's controversial immigration law. That law is also currently being challenged in the US Supreme Court, where oral arguments were heard in April.
From Jurist [9], June 16. Used with permission.
See our last post on the politics of immigration [10].
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