Obama Relying More on Immigration Rule Changes

November 15, 2013
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press

President Barack Obama is relying more often on making relatively minor administrative changes to America's complicated immigration system, as the likelihood dims that Congress will overhaul the law.

Obama pledged twice as a presidential candidate to pass immigration reforms.

Obama's changes initially were broad and controversial. He instructed the government to use its discretion to find and deport only the most serious criminals. Then in mid-2012, he announced a plan to offer young immigrants in the country illegally a reprieve from deportation and work permits for at least two years.

Now, as it appears less likely that Congress will change immigration laws, the White House is chipping away at the edges with relative minor procedural changes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told managers in August how to deal with immigrant parents or legal guardians of young children. The memoranda said that before someone is deported, ICE officials should consider whether he or she is the primary caregiver for a minor child, has a direct interest in a family court or welfare proceeding or is the parent or guardian to children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

The administration has also allowed immigrant spouses and children of U.S. citizens to stay in the United States in some cases.

Other rule changes gave more flexibility to the Homeland Security Department's use of immigration holds for people in local jails.

House Republicans have long criticized the administrative changes.

Obama has repeatedly said immigration reform is a top priority of his administration. His selection of Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's former top lawyer, who has no immigration experience, as the next Homeland Security secretary signals that the White House, rather than the department, will now lead the push for immigration law changes.

The Senate earlier this year passed a sweeping bill that called for the doubling of the Border Patrol and a path to legal status for the nearly 11 million immigrants already living illegally in the country.

But activity has stalled in the House. On Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner said the House will not hold formal compromise talks on the Senate-passed bill. It faces strong opposition from House Republicans who have objected to a comprehensive approach. Many of them don't like the idea of offering citizenship to people who broke immigration laws to travel to the U.S.

During a citizenship swearing-in ceremony, Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday said he was "extremely disappointed" with Boehner's pronouncement.