President Barack Obama’s immigration reform amnesty provides suspension of deportation to illegal immigrants brought to America as minors and parents of US citizens. In addition, they will be granted a work permit. Legalized in this way, the people will not be able to get US citizenship, but will not be afraid of deportation and will formally pay taxes. The immigration law is applied only to those immigrants who have lived in the country for at least five years.
President Obama, tired of waiting for any specific action by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives of the US Congress in the field of immigration policy, signed a decree on the new rules of the legalization for nearly five million undocumented immigrants.
Presidential Decree does not solve all the problems associated with illegal immigration in the country for nearly 12 million illegal immigrants. But for the first time in the last ten years at least a partial solution to a serious problem that is being discussed in Congress from different sides without much progress has been made.
Presidential amnesty for illegal immigrantsdoes not allowed them to obtain federal benefits, including subsidized health insurance (Obama care), Medicaid, 8th program, Medicare. However, state governments have the right to pay for health coverage to illegal immigrants, and such liberal states as California and New York will provide Medicaid to immigrants without documentsin any case.
It is worth recalling that in June 2013 the US Senate approved a compromise, a bipartisan version of immigration reform. The Republicans in the Senate voted for the gradual and partial legalization of nearly 7 million people who have lived in America for at least five years, who have paid a fine and taxes, passed the English and USpolity exams, passed a medical examination and an interview with the Immigration Service.
As part of the Senate’s bill illegals got a chance to become citizens of the United States for 13 years. But the Senate’sBill was shelved in the House of Representatives by Speaker John Boehner. As a result, the lower house of Congress did not take any decision…
It should be noted that many prominent figures of the Republican Party support – with different reservations – the gradual legalization of undocumented immigrants. For example, the former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the former Florida governor, potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush and other conservativessupport a partial amnesty. They talk about the importance of keeping families, the elimination of the shadow economy, checking of the criminal background of illegal immigrants and strengthening the country’s borders. By the way, the Senate’sversion of the reform, as well as the presidential decree, increasesthe appropriations for border protection and enhancement of the National Guard in the Border States.
Now Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders in Congress promise to block the implementation of the presidential decreeat any cost. In particular, they intend to prohibit the financing of the process of immigrants’legalization, apply to the Supreme Court of the United States to recognize the unilateral Obama’s decisionas an unconstitutional, to pass a law prohibiting the issuance of work permits to illegal immigrants, etc.
Conservative politicians and the media made a lot of noise about illegal, as they say, Obama’s amnesty.However, such behavior can lead to the fact that the Republicans will lose this political battle, and only alienate Hispanic immigrants and Asian Americans in the election of 2016 from their party.
President Obama’s reform is a semi decision and a temporary solution, which cannot be considered an amnesty. It does not affect highly skilled professionals, does not allow gettingUS citizenship subsequently and limits the list of the lucky ones to be legalized. But it is possible that this unilateral President’s move could push Republicans to pass their version of immigration reform.
Information source: www.immigrateful.com