Immigration question: How far can the President go on executive actions? - CNN With Congress at an impasse over immigration reform, President Obama is expected to take executive action at the end of the summer. One possible move is the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) which currently grants stays of deportation to young adults who meet certain education and age requirements. Advocates are hopeful the president will allow DACA to cover other groups, such as the parents of DACA recipients, farm laborers, or immigrants who would "have been allowed to stay under the comprehensive immigration overhaul legislation the Senate passed in June 2013 but stalled in the House." That's potentially 6 to 9 million people.
The Political Risks of an Obama Executive Action on Immigration - New York Times The president is expected to make his move on immigration before the mid-term elections. The question is why. This analysis says that "such a broad executive action could provoke a backlash in the midterm elections that might be avoided with a move just a few months later."
Border crisis exposes dilemma for Republicans as it energizes conservatives - Washington Post The recent influx of migrant children from Central America has invigorated conservative Republicans, who are using the crisis to "make the midterms a referendum on Obama’s leadership in their bid to win the Senate." But this is undermining the strategy of national Republican leadership, who recognize that the GOP's future viability depends on winning over Latino voters.
Trauma Plagues Many Immigrant Kids In U.S. Illegally - NPR Social service agencies working with migrant children being placed with sponsors around the country are hearing stories of abuse suffered by the minors in their home countries. One Central American teen who's been moved to the Maryland area near his aunt has been dealing with the murder of his parents who had refused to cooperate with local drug traffickers. Another migrant was was raped on her journey to the U.S., according to a D.C. social service agency, and is now pregnant. From the story: "The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a nonprofit that is helping the federal government settle about 1,000 unaccompanied minors, says more than 90 percent of the girls they're dealing with have been raped."
