Ahhh yes the old "Reagan and Bush did it also" item....can count on it...

"President Obama repeatedly claimed that there is presidential precedent for the executive actions he took on immigration. But are the actions Obama announced really the “same kinds of actions” taken by past presidents?
Obama’s use of executive actions to defer deportation for up to 5 million people living in the country illegally relies on similar legal principles used by past presidents, although the issue of presidential authority may ultimately have to be decided in federal court. But there are some fundamental differences between Obama’s actions and those taken by past presidents.
The actions taken by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — examples often cited by White House officials — were attempts to address ambiguities in an immigration law that was passed by Congress. Obama’s executive actions are different. They are a response to congressional failure to pass a law, and they affect a far greater number of immigrants currently living in the country illegally.
In his prime time speech, Obama twice emphasized that he was simply taking the same kinds of actions that were taken by past presidents."

Obama’s Actions ‘Same’ as Past Presidents?

Actually, there were done in concert with and in discussions with and approved by the congress.

"In 1986, faced with a large and growing population of illegal aliens, Congress created a new, time-limited form of immigration relief for certain aliens who, among other things, had to have come to the United States more than six years previously. This is the much ballyhooed Reagan amnesty. It was, unfortunately, riddled with fraud in its execution, the uncovering of which is still roiling the immigrant community. But even setting that aside it left President Reagan with a moral dilemma. Congress’ amnesty was large—just shy of 3 million people—and it had the unanticipated effect of splitting up freshly-legalized parents from their illegally-present minor children who did not qualify for relief.

So Reagan, seeing this family unity problem that Congress had not anticipated or addressed when it granted amnesty to millions of parents, issued an executive order to defer the removal of children of the people who had applied for immigration amnesty under Congress’ new law. He allowed those children to remain in the United States while their parents’ applications for amnesty were pending. A few years later, Bush 41 extended this bit of administrative grace to these same children plus certain spouses of the aliens who had actually been granted immigration amnesty under Congress’ new law.

Congress, though it had desired to grant amnesty, had not considered and not included the spouses and children. Importantly, nor had it excluded them. So Presidents Reagan and Bush 41 filled that statutory gap. “What do we do with spouses and children?” INS asked. “Well,” the executive branch leaders said, “defer their deportation. Decline to exercise your lawful authority for the particular cases that are related to those Congress has offered amnesty.”

These Reagan and Bush 41 executive actions were obviously different than what Obama is doing now. They were trying to implement a complicated amnesty that Congress had already passed. Congress’ action was a form of immigration relief that obviously fit within our constitutional system. Moreover, Congress left a gap when it came to immediate family members, including minor children, of individuals who qualified for the amnesty. Presidents Reagan and Bush 41 forbore from deporting people in that select group."

You might have missed that on MSNBC as it never seems to be reported.

Still wondering why President Obama did not actually issue the order being discussed ?????

Sounds like Reagan, Bush 41, and Obama showed some compassion. Nice.

I know what the costs of college tuition is today and I know the minimum wage thus will not need your help. You obviously missed my point about context on your min wage post

i did

As one who has paid Taxes all my life and currently pay $1300 for health care, i have a problem with going to the emergency Room and waiting in the back of the line of Non US citizens and Welfare people, And when I do get in I have to pay my $2500 deductable for my care and Guess who pays nothing ! Guess who's paying the cost of everyone in front of the line. Me thats who. great Country.

i would be angry too.

No one has answered the question originally asked.

Exactly what are in the details of the action signed by the President AND what does it exclude the affected immigrants from doing or obtaining?

Even if I knew the details it wouldn't matter 'cause things change very rapidly with this administration and what I told you today could be different tomorrow - "if you like your doctor you can keep him".

Some of the details were allowing around 4 million immigrants to get legal jobs and thus would contribute by paying taxes. They will not get the right to vote.

Some states allow illegal immigrants to get driver licenses. Good! I would rather know they are licensed and insured when driving.

I guess we will just have to wait until the bill is signed/passed to get the details of what is in it or not!

As far as giving drivers licenses I suppose there are some positives, I don't know and don't need to know them. I feel every concession made, what ever the reasoning, is just another reason to incent them to no legalize their position in the USA.

Maybe if more requirements were a part of the granting of the benefits they are accorded maybe some would entertain becoming citizens instead of wards of the system.

There simply needs to be firm criteria to allow their living in our country just like there are rules for all other countries residents who either visit us temporarily or who undertake the long process of becoming a citizen.

There is no acceptable reasoning why immigrants from the the border to the south of us is just short of wide open and out of control....NONE.
And why is it that existing laws are not being enforced and why is that acceptable to so many Americans?

How about we enforce the existing laws first. SHUT DOWN the borders to illegal entry.
Then have a discussion with the American citizens about what to do with those already in our country. Now why is that so logical and reasonable and yet so unacceptable to those who supposedly represent us and thos who support them?

As I said, I had the same issue with my Filipina wife. It took a tremendous amount of money, time and effort to get her here.

One of the problems is the marriage for conveniences that go on in some of these third world countries. An American goes to a foreign country and gets paid to marry one of their citizen so that he or she can bring their "spouse" here. Once here, they get divorced. It used to happen a lot and I can certainly understand the government having to crack down on it.

My wife now has her "permanent" (meaning ten year) resident status. Her first "conditional" permanent resident status had to be renewed after two years at the cost of about $600. Her current "permanent" status has to be renewed after ten years at another absurd amount of money if she doesn't get her citizenship. We have been married almost four years now.

Certainly, if this were some kind of sham marriage it would have ended by now. Why not just give her citizenship and get another case off of Immigration's workload and let them focus on real problems instead of harassing the people doing the legal way?

The whole system, like many of the things that government does is a mess.

Did you miss the answer in post # 17 or did you simply not agree with it and disregard it?


There is no/are no executive order[s] on immigration reform!

Watchdog: Executive-order ploy ‘criminal conspiracy’!

It Is Completely Irrelevant That Obama Never Signed An Executive Order On Immigration - Conn Carroll

I said "action signed by the President".