Christi Parsons, Brian Bennett, Lisa Mascaro
Los Angeles Times
7/25/2014
President Obama meets at the White House with presidents Salvador Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador, left; Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala, second from left; and Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras, right. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
Even as President Obama grapples with the crisis of immigrant children arriving at the Southwest border, White House officials are laying the groundwork for a large-scale expansion of immigrant rights that would come by executive action within weeks.
Officials signaled strongly Friday that Obama’s move would shield from deportation large numbers of immigrants living in the country illegally, as advocacy groups have demanded.
Roughly 5 million of the estimated 11 million people who entered the country without legal authorization or overstayed their visas could be protected under a leading option the White House is considering, according to officials who discussed the proposals on condition of anonymity…
…When the decision is announced, it will “increase the angry reactions from Republicans,” [White House senior advisor Dan] Pfeiffer said.
“I would not discount the possibility” that Republicans would seek to impeach Obama over his next immigration moves, he said, adding that House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) had “opened the door to impeachment” by his plans to sue Obama for allegedly exceeding his executive authority…
…Boehner repeatedly has ruled out calls for impeachment proceedings, and his lawsuit against Obama has been widely seen as an effort to provide an alternative for Republicans infuriated by what they see as too much unilateral action by the president.
But the open references to impeachment at the White House on Friday suggest that administration officials are trying to shape the political battleground in advance — portraying Republicans as obstructionist before launching a broad-sweeping executive action on a front where conservative sensitivities are particularly keen: immigration policy…
Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times.
H/T Michael Graham writing about the photograph above, “Three of these presidents are so bad at their jobs, citizens risk death to flee their own nation’s borders.
The fourth is working on it….”
Related: Remember this from 2009? Many couldn’t believe our president would blatantly support the illegal attempts of the former president of Honduras to subvert an election. From Fausta’s Blog, In Russia, President Obama Explains His Support for Ousted President of Honduras:
…Tapper also quotes Rep. Connie Mack, R-Florida, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee:
“There is little doubt that Zelaya, in his blatant power grab, has moved Honduras down a dangerous path toward less freedom, less security, and less prosperity,” Rep. Connie Mack, R-Florida, recently said. “The United States and our allies in the region must now stand with the Honduran people to ensure the respect of freedom, the rule of law and democracy.”
Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that “the Honduran people deserve a government which upholds the constitution and protects their democratic rights. True proponents of democracy and human rights will hold true allegiance to these principles, not to the rulers who undermine them.”…
Read the whole thing. Refresh your memory with our related articles here.
Also, Rep. Scalise Calls Out Obama: ‘First White House In History Trying To Start Narrative Of Impeachment’ (video)
…“Well, the White House wants to talk about impeachment,” Scalise replied. “Ironically, they’re going out and trying to fundraise off of that too.”
“Look, the White House will do anything they can to change the topic away from the president’s failed agenda,” the House Whip explained. “People are paying higher costs for food, for healthcare, for gas at the pump. And the president isn’t solving those problems. So he wants to try to change the subject.”
Update: Poll: 77%–Including 66% of Hispanics–Want Illegals Sent Back
…Among all respondents, 10% wanted illegal immigrants returned to the Mexican border; 32% wanted them returned “to their family in their home country, regardless of conditions in their home country;” 35% wanted illegal immigrants returned “to their family in their home country, only if conditions in their home country are safe;” 11% wanted them to stay in the United States; 3% wanted something else; and 10% didn’t know what the proper solution was…
The Percentage of Americans That Agree On the Immigration Crisis is Massive and Surprising
…As would be expected, the issue has had a negative effect on the President, as well. Only one-third of those polled approve of his handling of the issue.
A clear conclusion from this poll is that amnesty or open immigration policies are a minority preference…
Update 2: Steve Scalise blames Obama for lack of border crisis deal (video)
…“We’re going to keep working until we get this problem solved,” Scalise told “Fox News Sunday.” “Ultimately this is the president’s responsibility. He can fix this problem in a day; he had chosen not too.”…
