WASHINGTON— The intense political fight that would affect millions of people who are in the United States illegally arrives to the Supreme Court on Monday.
The court will decide the destiny of Obama executive orders that would protect more than 4 million people from deportation and allow them the right to hold a job. With this decision, millions of people would not only be able to work legally in the U.S., but also would have the ability to obtain a social security card and even be able to travel out of the U.S.
Roberto Silva, a Brazilian immigrant, living in the U.S. for more than 15 years states that "I need a social security card and a work permit in order to take care of my wife and 3 children born in the U.S. My youngest is autistic and requires special schooling that I cannot afford. We are fighting a losing battle with the amount of money I earn. My wife also can’t work and has to take care of our children. Our lives are in constant stress, Silva said.
The executive order pronounced by President Barack Obama in November 2014 applies to parents of children that are citizens or are legal permanent residents. The order would also expand the president's 2012 program called “DACA.”s. More than 700,000 young people have taken advantage of the program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Texas and 25 other states sued to prevent the new plans soon as soon as they were announced, Federal courts have decided in their favor. The programs barely commenced when it was stopped suddenly. Now its up to the Supreme Court to make the final decision on a crucial immigration problem.
House Republicans say that Obama is asserting the power "to decree that millions of individuals may live, work and receive benefits in this country even though federal statutes plainly prohibit them from doing so."
The administration and immigration advocates, on the other hand, say the immigration orders are neither unprecedented nor even unusual. Instead, they say, that Obama's executive order build on past efforts by both the Democratic and Republican administrations to use discretion in deciding whom to deport.
Moses Apsan, immigration attorney and past president of the Federal Bar Association, stated that “ the debate has taken on a heavy partisan complexion, Republicans repeatedly describe Obama as recklessly abusing his executive powers. This opinion is untrue. Obama not only acted lawfully, but the order was what our country needed. The illegal immigration issue has thwarted Congress for decades, and there’s no indication that lawmakers will be able to settle on a realistic plan anytime soon. This delay has had a human toll: Living with fear, immigrants are prone to be exploited Even if they are victims of a crime, they are less likely to ask police for assistance. Obama’s executive orders would give these immigrants; those that entered as children, as well as the parents of lawful US residents, the facility to come out of the shadows and truly live the American Dream.”
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