President Obama has made a lot of people unhappy, but perhaps nowhere more so than on the subject of
Largely because of Obama’s pro-immigration reform stance, the country’s Hispanic voters lined up with Liberals to elect him. Immigration reform was one of the issues Obama promised to address within his first year in office. It soon became apparent this was easier said than done. Immigration reform had failed during his predecessor’s tenure, despite President George W. Bush’s support. Overall, opposition in the country ran high.
After he was elected, Obama appointed Rahm Emanuel his Chief of Staff. Emanuel had been counseling Democrats for years to avoid the controversial issue. The first year passed, and other issues took precedence. No immigration bill was introduced. Meanwhile, in an attempt to placate the Right, the administration increased enforcement of existing law, and Hispanic groups began referring to Obama as Deporter in Chief.
Finally, in 2010, the Obama administration sent proposed legislation to the Hill. The DREAM Act was designed to provide protection and certain advantages of citizenship to young people brought into the United States as small children. The Act did not pass, although the administration later instituted parts of the proposal through Executive Order. Hispanics were somewhat encouraged, but frustrated at the general lack of progress.
While the most conservative wing of the Republican Party never wavered in their opposition to immigration reform, some in the party believed it was important to win over Latino support. In 2013, eight senators introduced a full immigration reform bill, which passed the Senate. The bill died in the House, however, where the Republican majority strongly opposed it. A recent ABC News poll shows that most of the country still opposes any reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.
In the absence of any hope of passing legislation, the administration has been considering more executive action. But the recent influx of young people from Central America has turned up the heat on this issue. Red State candidates in the November 2014 elections fear they face defeat if they support reform. Consequently, Democratic hopefuls have been leaning on the President to put off any further action, and he has agreed. An administration official recently announced, “Because of the Republicans’ extreme politicization of this issue, the President believes it would be harmful to the policy itself and to the long-term prospects for comprehensive immigration reform to announce administrative action before the elections.” Now, more than ever, immigration supporters are incensed.
Overall, among both Conservatives and Liberals, Americans’ approval rating for Obama’s handling of immigration has dropped to 31%. A full two out of three of Americans disapprove of the way this president is handling immigration.
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