Washington Post
By David Nakamura
May 27, 2014
President
Obama has delayed a review of deportation policies until the end of
summer in hopes that Congress will approve a legislative overhaul of
immigration laws, administration
officials said Tuesday.
Obama
instructed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to continue his
review, but the results will not be announced before lawmakers take
their summer recess in August,
officials said. The White House is concerned that Republicans would
balk if the administration takes unilateral action to stem the
deportation of undocumented immigrants, ending any slim remaining hopes
of a legislative compromise.
"While
the review is ongoing, the president believes there is an opportunity
for congressional action this summer and has asked Secretary Johnson to
hold on releasing
any results from his review while this window for congressional action
remains open," said one administration official, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity to discuss the internal decision-making. The
Associated Press first reported the White House's decision
to delay the review.
A
separate White House official said Obama's priority is "to enact a
permanent solution for people currently living in the shadows and that
can only come with immigration
reform ... He believes there’s a window for the House to get
immigration reform done this summer."
Obama
announced the review this spring under escalating pressure from
immigration advocates to use his executive authority to stem
deportations. The president said Johnson
would seek to make policies more "humane," though Obama cautioned that
he did not have authority to expand a 2012 executive action that halted
deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the
country illegally as children.
Johnson
has been meeting with stakeholders. He said this month he was looking
to potentially make changes to a program called "Secure Communities,"
which is designed to
have local law enforcement officials turn over undocumented immigrants
to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.
Immigration advocates have said the program has targeted immigrants
arrested for less serious crimes, while supporters
of the program said it targets violent criminals and repeat offenders.
Some
advocates have called on Obama to move quickly to relieve pressure on
the undocumented. But others who support immigration reform have said
they fear the House GOP
would accuse Obama of failing to enforce existing law and use that as a
reason not to support legislative reform.
House
Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he supports immigration
reform but will not allow a vote on a comprehensive bill approved by the
Senate last year. Boehner
said the House would pursue smaller, piecemeal bills if Obama restores
trust among the rank-and-file Republicans.
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