A group of 39 Hispanic organizations sent a post-election letter to President Obama Wednesday demanding that he immediately stop deportations of thousands of illegal immigrants and implement significant provisions in a rejected bipartisan immigration reform bill.
“Election Day has come and gone,” said Jose Calderon, president of the Hispanic Federation. “The time for big, bold and unapologetic administrative relief is now. The president has both broad legal authority under law and the moral imperative to act. The Latino community is looking at the president to take concrete steps to end the suffering of undocumented Latino families and workers. No more excuses. No more delays. No more unfulfilled promises.”
Obama announced earlier this year that he would use executive authority to reduce deportations but delayed action until after the election.
Calderon said the postponement has led to the “unnecessary” deportation of 70,000 people living here illegally.
The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda also wants Obama to legalize anyone who would have been eligible to remain in the United States if the comprehensive immigration reform had become law.
That bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support but was largely rejected by the GOP and never considered in the House. The measure would have expanded visas, provided a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegals and expanded an agricultural guest worker program.
The Hispanic groups say the deportations are separating families and should be halted immediately.
“President Obama has repeatedly stated that he will act soon to end the deportation of hard-working immigrants and, now that the elections have concluded, we ask him to proceed without further delay,” said Antonio R. Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
The Obama administration has signaled that the president plans to push ahead with significant executive action concerning deportations, despite major Republican gains in Tuesday’s election. The details of Obama’s plan have not been disclosed, but he will act before Christmas, according to media reports.
Groups working to stop increased immigration say voters sent a message Tuesday that they want a GOP-led Congress to block Obama’s executive action.
“Republicans now have a mandate from the American people to prevent the president from carrying out a massive executive amnesty by cutting off funding for such purposes,” Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said Wednesday.
