by Félix Pérez
Educators welcomed President Obama’s sweeping announcement tonight that will help end the separation of children and families and create a “more fair and more just” immigration system.
“Educators know from experience that family unity plays a critical role in student success. Yet a growing number of public school students live in fear that our nation’s immigration policies will break up their families, forcing them to choose between their country and their loved ones. Keeping families together is essential to keeping America strong,” said Utah teacher and National Education President Lily Eskelsen García.
President Obama’s highly anticipated announcement fulfills a promise he made long ago. “When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system,” he said, describing the actions as “a common-sense, middle ground approach.”
He noted, “Now, I continue to believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working together to pass that kind of common sense law. But until that happens, there are actions I have the legal authority to take as president – the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before me – that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just.”
President Obama said he came to feel strongly about the need to take action. “I’ve seen the heartbreak and anxiety of children whose mothers might be taken away from them just because they didn’t have the right papers. I’ve seen the courage of students who, except for the circumstances of their birth, are as American as Malia or Sasha; students who bravely come out as undocumented in hopes they could make a difference in a country they love. These people – our neighbors, our classmates, our friends – they did not come here in search of a free ride or an easy life. They came to work, and study, and serve in our military, and above all, contribute to America’s success.”
Eskelsen García called President Obama’s administrative action the “morally right thing to do for our students and their families,” adding, “While we welcome this necessary action, we still have a long way to go. This is only a temporary fix. We need something permanent. As a country, we have an obligation to do what is morally right and just and bring about comprehensive immigration reform now.”
She continued, “Educators will continue to push to end the harmful paralysis in the U.S. House of Representatives and demand swift action on comprehensive immigration reform. Political posturing and threats should not shatter the lives and dreams of children and families. Congress can make or break their dreams.”
This president should have been taking lessons in how to follow the constitution rather than organizing radical social groups in his past life. He has no sense of following the law and seems to think he is the king of some third world country where he can do what ever pleases him. The saddest part of the whole situation is that a huge majority of American educators, bright and educated people, have been duped by the socialistic agenda.
I challenge everyone to never again say ‘undocumented’ but use the term illegal. Illegal. Illegal. Keep saying it until it sinks in.
Then tell the teachers associations (that take a lot of our hard earned money) to stop giving money to politicians of any party who will not follow laws and the constitution. You know: Those who can, teach, those who can’t, make laws about teaching. Those people.
I’ll bet most of the supporters of Obama don’t say the pledge to the flag in school each day. Such a disgrace.
You people are so short sighted. 5 million illegally legalized will mean they bring in all their family, so then it’s 20 or 30 million. Each illegal family takes $20,000 more out of the system than any taxes collected brings in. This is going to put us trillions more in debt and take away from our programs. This is a death sentence on us.
Obama will be remembered as an effective public servant. Boehner, McCain and cronies will hardly be worth remembering…except as the negative force to aid in getting the right things done
Obama will be remembered as the worst president of all time. Did you thank him for ruining your healthcare yet? My premiums went up $2,000 and new deductible of $4,000. So $6,000 out of my pocket and they continue to lie about how wonderful Obamacare is.
I support the President’s immigration plan. This country has not been able to keep people yearning to be free, wanting a better life, willing to do what ever they could to make a better life out. Once here we have not worked to send them home and consequently we have 11 million people here without the paperwork they need to become full citizens. Year after year the immigration problem is talked about, argued, but little or nothing is done to really fix it. It is all piecemeal. Even this plan doesn’t solve the problem, but it does provide some humanity.
Congress is not very interested immigration except for something to use to complain about the other party. We ought to rid ourselves of parties as well as George Washington suggested long ago.
I wonder what the Native Americans who were here first and were trampled over and completely mistreated would do if they were the government of this country.
What a load of crap. “Dreamers”, “Undocumented”… Democrat double speak straight out of 1984. Are there any teachers left who are not left wing socialists and sheep to the idiot in chief?
This is going to kill budgets everywhere. It will suck recourses away from other programs and a tough job impossible as funding dwindles.
Well, there are at least 2 plus me at my school.