Since President Obama announced his plan to shield at least 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation through executive action, republicans have been quick to accuse the president of abusing his executive authority and overstepping the U.S. Constitution. Yet compared to his predecessors, Obama has used his executive authority less than any other president in the last hundred years.
During an interview over the weekend, the president noted that, “If you ask historians, take a look at the track records of the modern presidency; I’ve actually been very retrained. And I’ve been very restrained with respect to immigration. I bent over backwards and will continue to do everything I can to get Congress to work. “
While many republicans claim the president does not have the constitutional authority to act on immigration through executive action, scholars have noted that there is actually significant precedent for the president to act unilaterally on the issue. President Ronald Reagan used his executive authority to halt the deportation of roughly 100,000 undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, President George H.W. Bush issues executive actions that provided 1.5 million undocumented immigrants with deportation relief.
This week, a number of surveys were released that found significant support for the president’s actions in the face of republican inaction. 9 in 10 Latino voters support the president’s executive actions according to Latino Decisions. Another survey conducted by Hart Research Associates also found that nearly 70% of American voters support Obama’s plan.
Recent Comments