Obama's Immigration Plan Gets Review From U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on President Barack Obama’s decision to defer deportation for as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants, agreeing to hear the administration’s appeal on one of the most contentious issues of his presidency.
The court didn’t immediately say when it will hear arguments. The administration was seeking a hearing in the court’s current term. That would probably mean a late-June ruling that would stoke what is already a fiery immigration debate in the presidential campaign.
A federal appeals court said Obama overstepped his authority in ordering the plan, which would let millions of immigrants apply for a reprieve from deportation and get work permits. The program, announced in November 2014 but yet to take effect, is being challenged by Texas and 25 other states, almost all led by Republicans.
In seeking Supreme Court review, Obama’s legal team said the appeals court’s “unprecedented and momentous” decision would strip the president of longstanding powers and give states an unwarranted right to challenge federal immigration policies in court.
“The court of appeals’ judgment enjoins nationwide a federal policy of great importance to federal law enforcement, to many states, and to millions of families with longstanding and close connections with this country,” U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli argued in the appeal.
Acting Alone
Obama acted on his own to address the status of some of the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants after Congress reached a stalemate in efforts to pass a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws. People whose children are either U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and who meet other requirements, could get relief from deportation for three years. Those individuals, who are primarily from Mexico and Central America, wouldn’t be given an easier path to citizenship.
The president says the program is simply a broader exercise of his accepted power to set priorities in deciding who should be deported.
Republicans in Congress, and many of those running for president, say Obama’s executive actions amount to unfair amnesty for people who broke the law to enter or remain in the country. In March 2015, hard-line party members threatened to shut down the Homeland Security Department unless Congress blocked Obama’s plan.
Immigration is a top issue in the 2016 presidential campaign and may influence the political loyalties of Hispanics, a fast-growing ethnic group.
MORE:
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-19/obama-s-immigration-plan-gets-review-from-u-s-supreme-court
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