Wall Street Journal
By Laura Meckler
June 17, 2014
Hillary
Clinton offered President Barack Obama a measure of cover on his
controversial deportation record on Tuesday, saying there’s only so much
he can do to protect
people in the U.S. illegally from deportation.
“We
have to understand the difficulty that President Obama finds himself
in, because there are laws that impose certain obligations on him,” she
said during a town hall-style
meeting broadcast on CNN.
With
legislation providing legalization for undocumented immigrants stalled
in Congress, Mr. Obama has come under enormous pressure from immigration
activists to moderate
deportations using his own authority. Administration officials have
said they are prepared to alter policy to make sure the government is
prioritizing the right people for deportation. But it’s unclear whether
Mr. Obama will affirmatively protect people who
are in the U.S. illegally, as activists are demanding.
Asked
about this, Mrs. Clinton began by saying she supports the pending
legislation. But she also said that deportation numbers “have been
moderating” in part because
the Department of Homeland Security understands the “horror” of
separating children from their parents. “That’s just not who we are as
Americans,” she said.
And she suggested that the president doesn’t have authority currently to make big changes.
“I
would be very open to try and change the law even if we don’t get to
comprehensive immigration reform to provide more leeway and discretion
for the executive,” she
said.
She
also addressed the surge of unaccompanied children attempting to cross
the border, making clear that the U.S. cannot let them stay and that
people in Central America
need to understand that.
“We
have to send a clear message just because your child gets across the
border doesn’t mean your child gets to stay,” she said. “We don’t want
to send a message contrary
to our laws or encourage more to come.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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