images

After weeks of speculation in which President Obama would use executive action on immigration without congressional approval, Obama now has delayed any action until after November’s mid-term election.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday, bowing to political concerns, President Obama will not announce any plans to take executive action to change immigration policy until after the November elections, despite promising in June he would act before the end of summer.

The Post continued to report, White House officials began informing lawmakers and advocacy groups of the decision, with calls going out late Friday and continuing into Saturday morning, according to several people familiar with the decision.

Many Senate Democrats running in hotly contested races warned any executive action on immigration has the potential of making it difficult for many Democratic incumbents up for reelection in states where Obama is unpopular to win their perspective races.

The Associated Press reported that Obama’s own calculations, politics did play a role in his decision.  In his remarks to NBC, which were to be aired on Sunday, he said a partisan fight in July over how to address an influx of unaccompanied minors at the border had created the impression that there was an immigration crisis and thus a volatile climate for taking the measures he had promised to take.

In his remarks to be aired, the president stated, “The truth of the matter is – is that the politics did shift midsummer because of that problem,” he said. “I want to spend some time, even as we’re getting all our ducks in a row for the executive action, I also want to make sure that the public understands why we’re doing this, why it’s the right thing for the American people, why it’s the right thing for the American economy.”

In an email to The Hill, a White House official stated, “The reality the president has had to weigh is that we’re in the midst of the political season, and because of the Republican’s extreme politicization of this issue, the president believes it would be harmful to the policy itself and to the long-term prospects for comprehensive immigration reform to announce administrative action before the elections,”

Politico reported that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) swiftly criticized Obama’s decision to hold off until the end of the year, which came after an increasing chorus of Senate Democrats sounded alarms about the prospect of the White House acting on its own to stem deportations just months ahead the competitive midterms. The House’s top Republican said there is never a “right” time for Obama to sidestep Congress on immigration and “declare amnesty by executive action.”

“But the decision to simply delay this deeply-controversial and possibly unconstitutional unilateral action until after the election – instead of abandoning the idea altogether – smacks of raw politics,” Boehner said in a statement Saturday. “The American people deserve honesty, transparency, and accountability – and any unilateral action will only further strain the bonds of trust between the White House and the people they are supposed to serve.”

Immigration advocates reacted angrily and felt betrayed again by the president as they remember his campaign promise as he ran from president in 2008, to submit comprehensive immigration reform in his first year in office.

Being interviewed by Jorge Ramos on May 28th 2008, then-candidate Obama stated, “I cannot guarantee that it is going to be in the first 100 days. But what I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I’m promoting. And I want to move that forward as quickly as possible.”

Nothing happened even when the Democrats controlled both the Senate and the House with the largest Democratic majority since 1978.

Latino advocacy groups felt betrayed again, and blame Obama and Democrats for placing politics over principle.

“To wait nine more weeks means that I must again look my mother in the eye and see the fear she has about living under the threat of deportation every day,” said Cristina Jimenez, director of United We Dream, an advocacy group.

The Hill reported staunch immigration activist and director of America’s Voice, Frank Sharry tore into Obama for the delay, calling it a bitter disappointment.

“We advocates didn’t make the reform promise; we just made the mistake of believing it,” Sharry said.  “The President and Senate Democrats have chosen politics over people; the status quo over solving real problems.”

“It is hard to believe this litany of high expectations and broken promises will be mended by the end of the year,” he said.

Both parties agree on immigration reform, but are light years apart on the details; this issue again has been delayed until after the mid-term elections.

My guess it will punted until the next president takes office in 2016.