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What Has Obama Done?
I asked the same question in an update to Erika’s post on Barack Obama’s unilateral move to accommodate young illegal immigrants by refusing to deport them and issue them temporary work permits instead. With potentially as many as 800,000 new workers flooding into the system, what happens to the millions of Americans who can’t find work now? The Washington Post wonders the same thing, and more:
President Obama has just opened a floodgate of opportunity for young illegal immigrants in the United States, but could it squeeze the aspirations of legal Americans in the process? …
Under the new policy, as many as 1.4 million undocumented immigrants under age 30 will be able to apply for the amnesty, allowing them to work and attend college legally. To be eligible, they must have been in the United States for five years, have no criminal record, and attend high school or college or be a military veteran.
The policy does not provide permanent legal residency, but it protects those who qualify from being deported and gives them a chance to renew their new status every two years. It also does not grant any public benefits, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Federal law already grants all undocumented immigrants the right to a public-school education and emergency hospital care.
The new policy could entail additional costs for administration and enforcement, however, and put pressure on state systems of higher education to meet growing demand for slots.
A move like this might have made sense in 2005-6, when the civilian participation rate in the workforce was near its all-time high (around 66.2% at that time), with unemployment in the 5% range, and labor so tight that hourly wages on entry level positions were constantly rising. American businesses would have welcomed a larger pool of legal workers and the competition wouldn’t have put others out of work or forced them to work for significantly less money. People would have opposed it for other reasons, but economically speaking, it wouldn’t have had a tremendously negative impact, at least not in the short term.
But now?
MichiganMom
June 16th, 2012
How exactly do we verify that someone has been in the country for 5 years? Oh, that’s right. Democrats don’t believe in needing proof of anything. Expect a rush of young adults coming over the border and claiming to have been here for 5 years…
GM Car Of The Future
June 16th, 2012
I’ll tell you what this White House Squatter has done…
he’s taken this Nation another step closer to Revolution.
His mission continues, as planned.
Unneutral
June 16th, 2012
What Has Obama Done?
He is showing Americans that laws don’t matter and he plans to do things HIS way, whether we like it or not.
TooMuchTime
June 16th, 2012
Simple. They just have to prove they’ve never worked in the 0bama administration.
Stirrin the B.S.
June 16th, 2012
This move has Valdemort Jarret written all over it. She is desperate to keep Obumphuk in office so he will have his four years of flexibility. He/she will destroy this country, if given the opportunity.
MADJACK
June 16th, 2012
http://www.thenationalpatriot.com/2012/06/16/the-truth-behind-obamas-immigration-decree/
Kenny
June 16th, 2012
He pretty much just slapped america in the face, shredded the constituion, stomped on the american flag and said I can do whatever I want I’m not bound by laws, just wait until I’m re-elected.
Tim
June 16th, 2012
Anyone living here illegally is a walking criminal record. The fact of their presence makes them felons – so, how’s that gonna work?
serfer62
June 16th, 2012
Are they going increase or lose votes?
Will the summer Swarms & Riots add or suntract votes?
Dr. Tar
June 16th, 2012
Wasn’t this the line of questioning from Neil Munro yesterday? Good thing he got this out there for others to chew over – since the President doesn’t want an argument.
citizenjane
June 16th, 2012
@MadJack.
Good article.
kvn
June 16th, 2012
Will any US citizen under 30 vote for him now? Will any unemployed person? That is a lot of votes for Romney.
Roscoe P. Soultrane
June 16th, 2012
@Kenny: “He pretty much just slapped america in the face, shredded the constituion, stomped on the american flag and said I can do whatever I want I’m not bound by laws”
Yup. And America responded “Despite the fact we’ll fire off some rather testy letters to the editor, we’re pretty much cool with that.”
Chuck U Farley
June 16th, 2012
For phuck’s sake, can we start the impeachment proceedings now?
Please?
Angrymike
June 16th, 2012
As I said on H/A, good, now unemployment should be about 9.5% by September. Thanks for helping to put Rmoney™ in the whitehouse in January ……..
House of Kell
June 17th, 2012
Ya’ know, for someone who claimed to be a Constitutional scholar, this dumbass doesn’t seem to know a whole lot about OUR Constitution….
Stirrin the B.S.
June 17th, 2012
@Kell – You assume that it was the US Constituton in which he was a (ahem) “scholar”. Most likely he is in the Ruth Bader Ginsburg school of thought…
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/06/ginsburg-to-egyptians-wouldnt-use-us-constitution-as-model/
Major Mal function
June 17th, 2012
Expect a rush of young adults coming over the border and claiming to have been here for 5 years…
That’s exactly what happened during previous amnesties (I think this is # 8 or 9).