President Obama has outraged Congress with his executive order delaying deportation for up to five million illegal immigrants, but that controversial action may be easier to order than implement. Immigrants who’ve spent years avoiding detection may not have proof that they qualify. Since relief will be only temporary, many may not apply — but if they do, immigration officials could well be overwhelmed, and Republicans won’t just withhold legislative or financial support, they’ll be waiting to pounce on evidence of lax oversight or possible fraud. Will cities, states and nonprofit groups be willing or able to pick up the slack?
Unilateral Immigration Reform: A Dream or a Nightmare?
More
- President Obama defends executive action on immigration on ABC’s ‘This Week’
- Migration Policy Institute on estimates of executive action for unauthorized immigrants
- Gomez on how Obama’s immigration action will weigh on GOP in 2016 race
- National Council of La Raza on administrative relief
- Pew Hispanic Center on who will benefit most from Obama’s executive action
- Pew Hispanic Center on where unauthorized immigrant populations rose, fell
Credits
Guests:
- Alan Gomez - USA Today - @alangomez
- Clarissa Martínez de Castro - UnidosUS - @WeAreUnidosUS
- Karthick Ramakrishnan - founder and executive director of AAPI Data - @karthickr
- Jeffrey Passel - Pew Research Center - @pewresearch