COMMENTARY | According to The Christian Science Monitor, the Obama administration has sidestepped Congress by proposing a change to an immigration law that requires illegal residents to return to their home countries before applying for legal U.S. residency. The change, which doesn't require congressional approval, grants a hardship waiver to immigrants who are married or related to U.S. citizens.
In addition, a recently released draft report from the Department of Homeland Security states a quarter of immigration officers say they've been pressured by supervisors to overlook issues with citizenship applications.
There's more. According to The New York Times, a training course is being held that will teach deportation officers to focus their efforts on deporting immigrants who are convicted of crimes, while looking the other way with law abiding immigrants. So far, the immigration officers' union has disallowed its members from attending the training, stating that the Administration's efforts are a bid for Obama's re-election that the country's safety has taken a backseat to.
While shortening the separation of U.S. citizens from their loved ones who are trying to become citizens doesn't necessarily bother me, the notion the president is changing laws and avoiding solving immigration issues through an open process that includes Congress bothers me greatly.
The issues of illegal immigration are issues that this entire country faces. The question of who should be allowed to remain in the country should be settled by the laws already on the books. And if those laws are ambiguous, then there should be determinations made by the Supreme Court and there should be improvements made through the efforts of Congress.
Immigration laws should not be changed or rewritten solely by the executive branch of the government for the purpose of pandering to special interest groups during an election season. Wasn't our three-branch system set up to prevent such things?
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