For Immediate Release PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ACTION: HISTORICAL AND TRANSFORMATIVE Immediate Immigration Relief given to Millions of Undocumented Immigrants November 20, 2014 Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) Washington D.C. The Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), a non-profit national organization based in Washington D.C. hails President Obama’s Executive Action as historical and transformative given the failure of US Congress to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill. The President acted within his broad executive authority in the enforcement and implementation of immigration laws including the exercise of prosecutorial discretion to stop deportation of tens of thousands of individuals who have established strong family and economic ties in their respective communities. “President Obama has reaffirmed once more that this nation is a nation of immigrants. That our Immigration system should be about family, unity, economic opportunity, fairness and equality. Providing immediate immigration relief to at least five (5) million undocumented immigrants which includes tens of thousands of Filipinos in the United States is a very important step toward fixing our broken immigration system. His executive action should not be seen as an “all cure” to our defective immigration system but an immediate and practical immigration relief to millions of undocumented immigrants greatly impacted by an unresponsive immigration system that has destroyed the fabric of our nation and the family values that this great nation stands for. “ , Rev. Atty. Arnedo S.Valera, Executive Director of the Migrant Heritage Commission, said. “ It is a patriotic call by President Obama for Congress to do its job in enacting permanent immigration reforms to benefit the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, more than 500,000 of them are Filipinos. Hence, it should be seen as a blue print for the passage by Congress of a Comprehensive Immigration reform”, Rev. Atty. Valera further averred. The executive action is precisely definite and limited taking into account the legal authority of the President in the area of immigration. President Obama has show full respect to the principle of separation of powers i.e that Congress is the one mandated to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform . Clearly covered in these announced executive policies of the President includes a temporary immigration relief for parents of United States Citizens and lawful permanent residents. It is in fact an extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which provides temporary relief to undocumented children and youths who are studying or who have completed their studies in the United States providing them EAD’s (Employment Authorizations and Travel documents) . According to the American Immigration Council, the new program will be called Deferred Action for Parents (DAP), thereby assuring family reunification for millions of US Citizen Children and Lawful Permanent Residents with their parents. MHC believes that Filipinos especially those highly skilled will benefit from this immigration executive action of the President. The expanded exercise of prosecutorial discretion also lays down the foundation of the granting of deferred action to thousands of Filipino teachers in the United States who lost their immigration status to no fault of their own and as well as undocumented Filipinos who are no longer in lawful immigration status. MHC who initiated the designation of the Philippines under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program to benefit tens of thousands of Filipinos who are unable to return to the Philippines because of the great devastation brought about by super Typhoon Haiyan in terms of loss of lives and massive destruction of properties in the Visayan region, strongly believes that under this executive action, thousands of Filipinos can apply for deferred actions, work authorizations and travel documents so long as they meet the criteria set forth by the executive action. For the next several months, MHC will monitor how the executive action by the President will be implemented by several executive agencies principally the U.S Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of justice. The Migrant Heritage Commission remains hopeful that the various immigration agencies tasked in the enforcement of immigration laws under the aegis of the President and the US Department of Justice will implement this executive action with fairness and full respect of immigrants’ human dignity.# MHC EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS: Grace Valera-Jaramillo Jesse Gatchalian Rev. Atty. Arnedo S. Valera
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 04:31:20 +0000
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