In fact, notes Stock, (Margaret D. Stock) he could go even further and offer asylum to the Central American kids lining up at our borders, instead of sending them back as he has been promising to do. Section 207 of the INA gives him the authority to declare a humanitarian emergency and hand refugee status to all of them – and then some. And this wouldn’t be unprecedented, either. The United States did this as part of Operation Pied Piper to accommodate fleeing children from World War II and then Operation Pedro Pan in the 1960s to provide a safe haven to Cuban kids. So the real question is why is Obama holding back? It’s possible that he doesn’t fully understand the legal tools he has. More likely, it’s good, old-fashioned politics. Pretending that he can’t do much till Congress acts offers a convenient way to demonize Republicans with Hispanics. It also prevents a backlash against Senate Democrats in vulnerable red states such as Louisiana in November.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 05:40:14 +0000
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