Obama Authorizes Work Permits in Lieu of Deportation

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 05:28:07 PM EST
Tags: immigration reform (all tags)

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President Obama today issued an order authorizing undocumented residents to obtain work permits and avoid removal (deportation.)

The Obama administration said Thursday it will allow many illegal immigrants facing deportation the chance to stay in this country and apply for a work permit, while focusing on removing from the U.S. convicted criminals and those who might be a national security or public safety threat.

That will mean a case-by-case review of approximately 300,000 illegal immigrants facing possible deportation in federal immigration courts, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in announcing the policy change.

[More...]

According to one official:

"As a matter of law, they are eligible for a work authorization card, basically a taxpayer ID card, but that decision is made separately and on a case-by-case basis," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discussed the change publicly.

The official said the change will give authorities the chance to keep some cases from even reaching the court system. The message to agents in the field, the official said, would be "you do not need to put everyone you come across in the system."

This is welcome news and a step in the right direction. The Associated Press report, which obtained the letter from DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, is here.

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Obama Authorizes Work Permits in Lieu of Deportation | 65 comments (65 topical)

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It's the right thing to do. (5.00 / 4) (#5)
by jeffinalabama on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:32:12 PM EST

Glad to see it happen, irrespective of the reason.

: Yes, it is the right thing to do. (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by caseyOR on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:49:18 PM EST

And I, too, do not care what the reason is for this change.
I do hope Napolitano's office has gotten the word out to all the Immigration offices around the country and made it clear to everyone in those offices that the rules have changed.

: I agree with this (none / 0) (#12)
by MO Blue on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 08:49:58 PM EST

Particularly hope this allows the children to continue their education without any more hassle.

More of this please (5.00 / 3) (#9)
by andgarden on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 07:10:16 PM EST

What is the Saying ? (5.00 / 1) (#35)
by ScottW714 on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 09:43:59 AM EST

The devil is in the details...

Sorry, but this is so out-of-character I'm having a hard time swallowing it.

If it's as reported, this is awesome. I have been looking for something to get me off the couch on election day, this is definitely what I have been looking for.

I hope this is true and the message works it's way down to the ground troops. As mentioned above, what does this mean: paychecks, taxes, SSI, and are those commitments going to be honored when they retire ?

Or are we creating huge database for the next republican president to use when trying to eradicate the country of brown people while simultaneously taking what little they have to subsidize tax cuts.

Just seems like more magic fairy dust...

: I'm with you ... (none / 0) (#38)
by Robot Porter on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 10:23:44 AM EST

don't buy it. Fool me once and all that ...
My guess is there will be so many caveats that this will never be meaningfully implemented. That's the general M.O. of this administration.
For that reason, they can't just say stuff at me. They gotta prove it!

This should help Obama with the Latino vote... (none / 0) (#1)
by magster on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 05:58:47 PM EST

... how political of him. But, welcome nonetheless.

Most (5.00 / 1) (#34)
by CST on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 09:18:54 AM EST

good policy is political. That's why movements work. Which makes the economic policy of this administration even more inexplicable.


Except that (none / 0) (#2)
by Edger on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:10:59 PM EST

it might lose him the right wing vote he's worked so hard to try to capture...


Yup. Didn't someone post the right wing (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by nycstray on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:17:31 PM EST

probable response to this yesterday? 'Taking jobs, depressing wages and destroying the economy' is what I think they said "illegals" do . . . {sigh}


Well, (none / 0) (#18)
by bocajeff on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 10:04:19 PM EST

The law of supply and demand would simply state that the more supply of workers you have then the demand on wages will fall.

Also, the more workers you have in the marketplace then the less jobs will be available.

Not talking about the politics or the morality. Just the simple math of added workers and people to the system.


: They are already here and working (none / 0) (#23)
by nycstray on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 01:16:19 AM EST

and from my perspective, they aren't hurting the job market/wages/etc. I'd look elsewhere for that particular problem . . . .

: For us blue collar workers, yes (none / 0) (#58)
by Babel 17 on Sat Aug 20, 2011 at 12:31:56 PM EST

Unfortunately many white collar workers can't grasp our reality.
Economist Paul Krugman has noted that many citizens do have their wages negatively impacted by an influx of manual laborers.
IIRC he alluded that the logic is pretty elementary.

he's working to capture (none / 0) (#4)
by The Addams Family on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:30:29 PM EST

"independents," i.e., country-club Republicans like himself

he knows that no right-wingers are going to vote for him - they think he's a Kenyan Muslim Socialist

but this could shore up some of the Hispanic bloc for him

it's a good thing to do


Maybe (none / 0) (#10)
by Edger on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 07:26:51 PM EST

As long as they don't get unreasonable and start expecting things like Health Care or Social Security ( /snark )


The way it is now (5.00 / 1) (#25)
by gyrfalcon on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 01:21:06 AM EST

we're ripping them off happily for SS contributions and taxes without them having the ability to claim any of the benefits.


OTOH (none / 0) (#31)
by nyjets on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 07:43:28 AM EST

'Undocumented' immigrants are depressing the wages of American citizens and making it harder for them to find jobs. Also most of the money they 'earned' is sent to their home countries pumping more money out of the country. They are also getting a free education.
It is the 'undocumented' immigrants that are ripping us off.


Nice links and sources (none / 0) (#40)
by Edger on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 03:19:42 PM EST

you provided :-/


Scatch the Undocumented Mem NYJets (none / 0) (#45)
by ScottW714 on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 04:24:38 PM EST

They are now or will be documented, better work on those talking points.


The point is (none / 0) (#46)
by nyjets on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 05:19:54 PM EST

They are currently 'undocumented' and IMO should be deported. They should not be allowed to stay in this country.


and you are limited to four comments a day (none / 0) (#51)
by Jeralyn on Sat Aug 20, 2011 at 12:15:57 AM EST

expressing that view. It is directly contrary to the views of this site.


: Four? That's progress. (none / 0) (#56)
by Mr Natural on Sat Aug 20, 2011 at 10:59:44 AM EST

Clintonistas were permitted only two during the height of '08.

Only (none / 0) (#32)
by jbindc on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 08:06:21 AM EST

If they actually get a paycheck and are not paid under the table.


: Damn those American employers, eh? (none / 0) (#41)
by Edger on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 03:21:00 PM EST

Good Obama Moves (none / 0) (#6)
by AngryBlackGuy on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 06:44:39 PM EST

Either get no attention or he's accused of doing it for political reasons.

Been a while since I have read a 5 comment post.

No fun in "good job Obama".

Well (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by Ga6thDem on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 07:08:41 PM EST

we only have his behavior of the last few years to go by. When a group makes a ruckus he will do what they want or if it affects his electoral chances. I guess he must see tanking numbers in the western states to be doing this because it's a reversal of what he's been doing up to this point.


Good Job, President Obama! (5.00 / 3) (#13)
by Peter G on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 09:01:01 PM EST

There, I said it. (And I mean it, at least until I read the fine print and find the loopholes.)


Unfortunately, looking for the loopholes (none / 0) (#14)
by MO Blue on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 09:05:27 PM EST

in policies that initially sound good before getting too excited is probably sound policy.


I missed exactly what they said on (none / 0) (#24)
by nycstray on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 01:20:48 AM EST

local news about that, but it does seem some have been looking . . . but at this point, I'll take anything that helps.


: If this policy helps more people, (none / 0) (#39)
by MO Blue on Fri Aug 19, 2011 at 10:31:27 AM EST

then I'm all for it.
I would like someone who I respect, like PeterG above, to look at the details. Maybe I've become too cynical but I'm really tired of the roller coaster ride the Dems have been taking me on since 2006 where things sound good but are either abandoned or not as they seem.

Eh... (5.00 / 3) (#15)
by Addison on Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 09:17:45 PM EST

Well, you're increasingly make it clear that you are more interested in yelling at other people about their lack of support for President Obama than supporting him yourself. So count me unimpressed with your castigations here.

You converted your support for the President into negative emotion expressed on a blog. Your default mode when Obama does something good is apparently not to trumpet it, but to whine that other people aren't trumpeting it sufficiently enough for you. That's not useful support. If someone just yells at Yankee fans all the time and happens to wear a Red Sox hat