Responding to the President's Immigration Fiat, Pt. 1
Responding to the President's Immigration Fiat, Pt. 3
Opposing the president's forthcoming executive immigration amnesty actions will be no cakewalk.
You can be certain that the administration will marshal every legal, humanitarian, economic, and political rationale it can think of, and that their number will be substantial. You can also bet that the administration will have the secretary of Homeland Security, Democrats in Congress, and other political supporters hitting the Sunday talk show circuit. It will mobilize its journalist allies to sing the praises of the administration's "needed", "limited", and "common sense" approach to fixing our "broken" immigration system since "Congress won't do it" in their editorials and political commentary blogs.
There also will be organized efforts by "grassroots" organizations like La Raza, America's Voice, and FWD.us to support the president's initiative, especially if multi-billionaire CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief financial backer of FWD.us, get the large infusion of new work visas they were promised as part of the behind-closed-door deals that led to passage of the Senate's 2013 immigration bill.
Finally, as certainly as those who wish to stay alive will take their next breath, you can be sure that heart-wrenching stories about illegal migrants who have been working hard to secure a better, safer way of life for themselves and their families, and who have been saved from America's harsh and broken immigration laws by the president's "courageous" actions will flood the nation's email in-boxes.
Pseudo-grassroots organizations like America's Voice have specialized for years in broadcasting emotionally wrenching stories of illegal immigrants who have suffered personal hardships because of our immigration laws, but never mention that they put themselves at risk by breaking them. The president's executive actions will simply require them to switch from ginning up outrage to ginning up heart-warming stories of reprieve.
Real immigration reform advocates can count on the president and his allies to mount an all-out effort — a full-court press to convince the public that the president's immigration executive action amnesty was done reluctantly after Congress refused to act. They will also claim that the president's executive order is really limited and focused on those who have the most compelling case for relief. America's generous nature and spirit will be front and center as they reflect on the president's desire to help people who have lived in our country for years with no other purpose than to be part of our community as they try to achieve the American dream.
Who could reasonably be against that?
And keep in mind that the public seems to be supportive (51 percent vs. 43 percent) of the president taking executive immigration action if "Congress does not act to address the immigration issue".
I note these very predictable developments and arguments because they are surely coming. The question is what to do about them.
There is much that can be done and therefore much to do. A large effort must be made before he acts. Time is short.
Next: Responding to the President's Immigration Fiat, Pt. 3