Obama to announce immigration plan

President Barack Obama will address the American public today at 8 p.m. to justify the need for executive action and a long-term congressional solution on immigration reform.

In June the Obama administration suggested a plan to provide temporary relief for the roughly 11.3 million unauthorized residents in the country, but actions were delayed twice.

“I can’t wait in perpetuity when I have authorities that, at least for the next two years, can improve the system, can allow us to shift more resources to the border rather than separating families — improve the legal immigration system,” Obama said at the international economic G-20 conference Sunday.

“I would be derelict in my duties if I did not try to improve the (immigration) system that everybody acknowledges is broken.”

Paul Cuadros, a UNC journalism professor and co-founder of the Carolina Latina/o Collaborative, said that while it is typically Congress’ authority to take such legislative actions, he thinks the body’s overall inaction justifies Obama’s executive efforts.

“Given the fact that Congress keeps delaying, essentially not wanting to deal with (immigration), the president is trying to provide some relief,” he said. “In that sense, I think the president taking executive action is probably the appropriate thing.”

Mario Carrillo, spokesman for the national immigrant advocacy group United We Dream, said they are frustrated with Obama’s delay, which he attributed to a final attempt from Democrats to maintain an uncertain majority in the U.S. Senate.

“We were very upset,” Carrillo said. “We really thought (the delay) was a political miscalculation.”

He said United We Dream anticipated the executive action to be similarly wide-reaching as the reform bill passed in the Senate in June 2013, which would ease the naturalization process. But he said they worry that fewer undocumented immigrants included in the legislation would be aided.

With a turnout in the midterm election that reflected the demographic’s traditionally low voter participation, Latino voters are increasingly dissatisfied, Cuadros said.

“Among the many Latino people I know and talk with — and I’m a Latino voter too — I think we’re all very disillusioned by the political process in both parties,” he said.

Latino voters account for 11 percent of all eligible voters nationally. The group makes up just 1.9 percent of registered voters in North Carolina.

Despite Pew Research Institute data showing that 16 percent of Latino voters in the midterm election deemed immigration reform the most important issue — third to the economy at 49 percent — Cuadros said immigration carries a lofty and personal importance.

Latino voters ultimately prioritize family values over long-term political party allegiances, he said. He believes that Democrats might have seen more support, particularly in the close and ultimately lost U.S. Senate races, if Obama had utilized executive actions before the election to highlight immigration as a top concern.

Justin Gross, a UNC political science professor and chief statistician for Latino Decisions, an organization that analyzes Latino public opinion, said he’s unsure of the effect that earlier executive action might have had for either party.

“I don’t think there would have been an upsurge of Democrats showing up purely out of support,” Gross said.

He said other strategies, like incorporating Spanish into campaigning, might have better catered to the one-third of eligible Latino voters who prefer Spanish to English.

Latinos were swayed statistically by negative efforts in campaigning, not positive ones, he said.

“Nothing spurs turnout as much as disgust against something,” Gross said.

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