Obama on immigration: ‘Will fight any attempt to turn back the progress we’ve made’

In a new opinion piece, President Obama said he’s confident his recent executive actions on immigration will be upheld despite a setback in the courts and reiterated his call for Congress to act on the issue.

Mr. Obama wrote in The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, that resources the Department of Homeland Security dedicates to the southern border are at an all-time high, apprehensions at the border are at an all-time low, and the number of illegal immigrants living in the country has stopped increasing for the first time in decades.

He defended his 2012 deportation amnesty to so-called “Dreamers” — illegal immigrants brought to the country as children — and last year’s actions that would allow millions more to apply for and obtain temporary legal status and work permits as “common-sense steps” that are legal, good for the country, and ones that follow similar steps taken by past presidents of both parties.

He said he disagreed with Judge Andrew S. Hanen’s recent ruling in a “partisan” lawsuit in Texas that halted his most recent deportation amnesty, that his administration will fight the ruling “with every tool at our disposal” and that he’s confident his actions will ultimately be upheld. The administration formally appealed and requested a stay of the ruling Monday.

He clarified that while the decision prevents the administration from accepting new requests under his actions announced last year, it does not impact the 2012 Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for Dreamers, and people eligible for that program can still submit an initial or renewal request.

He went on to say he’s confident the steps he’s taken will be implemented, but that they’re no substitute for congressional action, taking a shot at Capitol Hill Republicans in making his point.

“It was my hope that a new, Republican-led Congress would seek to govern responsibly by supporting commonsense solutions to one of our country’s greatest challenges, just like President Bush and Sen. John McCain tried to nearly a decade ago,” he wrote. “Instead, we’ve seen a series of votes to deport Dreamers, young people who are American in every way except on paper. We’ve even heard irresponsible threats to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, the very agency tasked with securing our borders and keeping Americans safe in a time of new threats, for no reason other than partisan disagreement over my actions.”

Facing an end-of-week deadline, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, announced a standalone bill late Monday that would block the latest amnesty but leave intact the 2012 DACA program, paving the way for the GOP to pass a short-term bill to fund the Homeland Security Department.

“It’s time to end the era of manufactured crises, put politics aside and focus on doing what’s best for America,” Mr. Obama wrote. “So while I will fight any attempt to turn back the progress we’ve made or break up families across our country, I welcome the opportunity to work with anyone who wants to build on the improvements we’ve put in place, and fix our broken immigration system once and for all.”