It appears that the political battle over President Obama’s immigration reform plan is over, at least in Congress. On March 3, the House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, without a provision requiring that Obama drop his executive orders to grant legal protections to millions of undocumented immigrants.
Prior to this, House lawmakers, many of whom called the executive actions over immigration unconstitutional, had passed a DHS funding bill that would have overturned them. When the Senate did not pass the earlier bill, funding for the agency hung in the balance, even after a short-term funding bill passed late in the week of Feb. 28.
The plan, led by Republican leadership in the House, drew criticism from multiple sources, and it appears that criticism was effective. Some of that criticism came from fellow Republicans, though other members hoped to continue with the plan.
As we have discussed before, the executive orders would allow undocumented parents of U.S. citizens who have been in this country for at least five years to defer deportation for up to three years. Perhaps five million parents will qualify for this change in the law. Currently, a federal judge’s ruling has put the plan on hold, though the White House is appealing the decision.
Immigration law has been a controversial topic in the U.S. for many years. As the law changes, the rights of many people in Florida may be affected. Those who want to remain in this country may need the help of an immigration attorney.
