Amnesty Within Reach

Helping millions of undocumented people is now almost impossible since the U.S. Congress was left in the hands of Republicans more than a week ago. The topic has returned to the arena with the White House’s decision to decree, via the executive branch, the mass legalization of immigrants under the guise of “amnesty.”

The details and the final ramifications are still unknown, but the fact that The New York Times has echoed a source “with direct knowledge,” is a guarantee that the plan is in motion to fulfill the promise: if not in every aspect of the integral immigration reform project, then at least by dispelling the notion that the Democratic president is the “king” of deportations.

The measure, according to the New York newspaper, will reach some 5 million of the more than 11 million undocumented individuals who, according to the Immigration Policy Institute, find themselves in that situation. This organization’s study shows that 3 million have spent more than 15 years in the country, and 5.7 million, more than 10 [years].

The news previews, sufficiently prudent so as not to cause damage but enough to measure the tense strength of the White House and the legislative branch, are providing accounts that aren’t discredited; on the contrary, “President Obama is close to a final decision” was the final reaction and confirmation of the official spokesperson who added that, “the president will receive some final recommendations relatively quickly, although certainly not before the end of his trip.”

The Republicans’ reaction has been as expected the past few days, but with an increase in aggression toward the immediacy with which the executive measures were disseminated. John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, didn’t soften his words: “He’s playing with fire, and when you play with fire you can get burned.”

The results of the recent legislative elections left President Obama at a clear disadvantage, shifting power toward the Capitol that could dismantle the two remaining years for the Democratic president. “Last week, I told the president to his face: If you proceed and order amnesty, you will not only be saying goodbye to an immigration reform during your presidency, you’ll also be putting other issues in jeopardy,” said Boehner.

At the edge of this debate and rivalry in the U.S. government, the final decision will have to be released to know the number of Hondurans who benefited, particularly (supposedly) those whose children were born in the United States, [those with] family ties and years living in the country. So, Obama will be known not as the one who made the most deportations, but the one who legalized millions and thoroughly integrated them into American life.