While Republicans are threatening President Obama if he dares to take legal action on immigration through an executive order, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is encouraging him to go bold. In fact, they’re giving him ideas for action.
“Expansive and robust action that addresses the economic, family, community and national problems we now face is urgently needed… Fixing our broken immigration system will benefit our economy and allow us to use our national security resources more wisely,” write the Progressive Caucus co-chairs Congressmen Raul Grijalva and Keith Ellison in their memo. Obama has multiple choices:
- He could kowtow to the Republicans and do nothing (further infuriating Latinos and progressives).
- He could extend the two-year-old Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that has allowed more than 500,000 Dreamers to stay here temporarily without fear of deportation while Congress diddles. (You’ll remember that the US Senate passed an immigration reform bill in June 2013, but House Republicans have made no movement toward reform.)
- He could extend DACA to the parents and spouses of Dreamers, adding another 4 million to deferred action.
- He could change the 2012 qualifications for DACA, adding another 3 million by changing age limits. (Read more details here and below.)