Obama’s executive action on immigration and DACA

During the State of the Union address in January, immigration reform wasn’t a talking point. In fact, it was only mentioned briefly—and as a reminder of the president’s intention to veto efforts to derail immigration reform. In December, several cities and states filed a federal lawsuit in opposition to President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Since then, more cities and states have joined in the lawsuit, with the goal of stopping the order.

Then, in January, and with the start of the new congressional session, House Republicans began quick work on their own efforts to halt positive progress on immigration reform. Some Republicans have even started to push through legislation designed to defend Obama’s order.

This has been much of the theme for immigration for 2015. One goal of Republicans is to increase deportations. Another is to get rid of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It’s highly unlikely any bills centered on these goals will pass. If they did, the president would veto them. But, they are prime examples of the opposition immigration reform currently faces.

Right now, it looks like Obama’s plan will continue to go forward, despite the hurdles. Of course, we are hoping that it will go through but we will only know for certain once it is in effect. After Obama’s announcement in November, USCIS stated the program would be ready in about “three months”, with no specific dates in place.

The program will provide relief for about 5 million people, many of them parents and family members of US citizens. The plan will give them the opportunity to legally work and pay taxes, while removing the worry of being deported. It will also provide spouses on H4 visas the ability to get work authorization. Outside of the initial application process by the USCIS, it’s not clear when the next steps will be in place, including when permits would be issued, meaning there are still a lot of questions for those who are eager to participate in the new program.Call our office at 916-220-3137 if you have questions or email us at info@ranchodlaw.com.