As the administration considers what executive actions President Barack Obama can take on immigration, the central question is how far can he go? Obama said on June 30 that he had asked the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to look into the steps he can take, within the confines of the Constitution, to "fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own."
The President expects to receive their recommendations before the end of the summer and intends to adopt them without delay. He said he was taking this step because Congress -- particularly House Republicans -- had not acted on comprehensive immigration reform. At a news conference on Wednesday, Obama said the American people want to see action on the issue.
"What I can do is scour our authorities to try to make progress," he said. "And we're going to make sure that every time we take one of these steps that we are working within the confines of my executive power. But I promise you the American people don't want me just standing around twiddling my thumbs and waiting for Congress to get something done."
Advocates and analysts say the legal answer might be different than the political one.
What's being considered
At the top of the list of options is an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It allows immigrants brought here illegally as children to stay without fear of deportation and apply for work permits if they meet certain criteria. So far, some 660,000 young people have taken advantage of the program, according to a report by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. That's 55% of the 1.2 million who were immediately eligible.
Half a dozen advocates involved in conversations with White House and Department of Homeland Security officials studying the matter believe the President could expand deportation relief to potentially millions more undocumented immigrants by expanding DACA.
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