Press Statement: President Will Do What Congress Refused to Do

SIREN’s Reaction to President’s Immigration Announcement

San José, CA – Today, SIREN issued the following statement in reaction to the President’s Rose Garden announcement made on Monday regarding his intentions to address immigration and deportation through executive actions within existing law.

“For over a year, President Obama has been willing to work with Members of Congress and given them the opportunity to take up the Senate’s immigration bill or propose legislation of their own. During this time, immigrant families, faith leaders, and allies across the country have raised the intensity and pressure to move immigration reform forward because it would offer the permanent solution to our immigration crisis and provide relief to millions of families being torn apart by current policies. But the House refused to act. 

“This announcement by the President showed that he, too, has grown frustrated and has lost patience with Congress. And now, he is going to exercise his executive authority to provide whatever relief he can, within his legal power, to our immigrant families. While not a permanent solution to the issue, we welcome necessary actions. “At the same time, we continue to ask the President to focus on executive action that provides affirmative relief to those facing deportation rather than focus on shuffling more resources to border enforcement. We are disappointed by the President’s intention to speed up the deportation of unaccompanied children seeking safety in the United States. We urge the President to act without delay and as boldly as possible to jumpstart the process for as many aspiring Americans as possible to stay, live, and work in this country that they call home.”

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