Let’s Look at the Issues
President Obama’s executive order that will allow millions of undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. is what President John F. Kennedy would have called a “Profile in Courage.” The President knew he would be harshly criticized by Republicans, simply because they condemn anything Mr. Obama does, and he knew he would also be criticized by others for not going far enough in fixing America’s broken immigration system. But he did what he believed was the right thing to do, and the affected individuals will no longer have to live in fear of deportation. With the stroke of a pen, Barack Obama has beneficially changed the lives of almost five million people.
Predictably, the Republicans reacted with fury and contempt. So far, they have threatened impeachment, budget roadblocks, a lawsuit against Obama and even shutting down the government again, and some of them are threatening all four of these actions. In short, the Republicans are charging that President Obama either broke the law or overstepped his authority as President and circumvented Congress in issuing this executive order. A close look shows how bogus these claims are.
While Republicans are saying President Obama’s executive order violates the law, the truth is that his directive is legal and binding. That’s because of the U.S. Constitution gives him the authority to issue executive orders. Furthermore, President Obama’s action on immigration is nothing new. Executive orders have been in use since George Washington, our nation’s first President. In fact, every single U.S. president has issued executive orders.
As for the Republicans’ charge that President Obama circumvented Congress by issuing the executive order on immigration, the truth is that he does not need Congressional approval. The truth is that Congress has failed to deal with immigration reform for the last 28 years, the time that has elapsed since the last meaningful action for the undocumented, the Immigration Reform Act of 1986. The truth is that this directive carries the same weight as a law passed by Congress itself, just as all executive orders do.
The Republicans’ are also charging that President Obama is overusing his authority to issue executive orders, saying there have been too many of them. This, too, is a bogus charge. Here’s why: To date, President Obama has issued 194 executive orders. How does this compare to other Presidents? Well, Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who is generally remembered kindly by historians, signed 1,081 executive orders. Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, another Republican, issued 724 executive orders in just four years. Woodrow Wilson, in two terms, issued 1,803 executive orders, and Republican Calvin Coolidge needed just four years to issue 1,203.
That’s not all. Herbert Hoover, another Republican, issued 968 executive orders in just four years. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who is also remembered very kindly by historians, was elected to four different terms as President and he used that time to issue 3,522 executive orders. Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican who served two terms, issued 484 executive orders. The hero of the conservative movement, Republican Ronald Reagan issued 381 executive orders—almost 200 more than President Obama—and several of them extended considerations to undocumented immigrants.
George W. Bush issued 291 executive orders, including two that loosened restrictions on the undocumented, and not once was he accused of using these actions to sidestep Congress, break the law or overstep his authority.
Congressional Republicans can whine all they want, the simple truth is that President Obama has every right under the U.S. Constitution to issue executive orders, and he only issued the recent one on immigration because House Republicans have steadfastly refused to pass their own immigration bill or sign on to the bipartisan U.S. Senate immigration bill that was passed twice. President Obama had given ample notice to everyone that he was going to take this action and he reminded Republicans that all they needed to do to stop it was pass their own immigration law.
Considering these facts, there is nothing underhanded about the action the President took to free so many from the fear of deportation, and any suggestion otherwise by Republicans is cheap and sleazy political hackery.
Let’s get serious in the U.S. about this issue. Less than half of the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. will benefit from President Obama’s action, and there is still no quick and easy road for those covered by the executive order to become U.S. citizens. This means that there is very much that still needs to be done about fixing our broken immigration system.
The way to get to the finish line on immigration reform is through elected officials working together to effect beneficial change for our country, rather than by Republicans using hyperbolic rhetoric, tiresome whining and overblown and hollow threats against President Obama for having had the courage and decency to get a national conversation started on this very important topic.
