As the debate on immigration reform is heating up, immigration activists are requesting President Obama to stop deporting people who are likely to become eligible for lawful status. If the immigration reform bill of the Gang of Eight is passed, undocumented immigrants would get a chance to apply for legal status and the immigration activists want President Obama to stop deporting such immigrants until an immigration reform bill is passed. Activists say that President Obama must act immediately and put an end to deportations. The Senate is now debating on the amendments that were filed to the immigration reform bill of the senators. Until the Congress votes on the immigration reform bill and until a bill is signed into law, according to the immigration activists, undocumented immigrants must not be deported.
President Obama’s administration deported several undocumented immigrants and during his first term, President Obama deported more than 1.5 million people from the country. Nevertheless, the administration states that its focus was on enforcement and that the violators of immigration laws, felons and people who recently crossed the borders of the country alone were deported. The activists claim that the administration failed to protect the immigrants who did not pose a threat to the national security. Likewise, they say that the country has deported more than 90,000 undocumented immigrants who are not criminals. According to the immigration reform bill, undocumented immigrants in the country and immigrants who were deported from the country prior to 31st December 2011 would be permitted to apply for legal status.
Immigration activists and undocumented immigrants are happy about the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill as the bill would permit them to stay back in the country. They believe that this immigration bill will be signed into law by the President. Lawmakers are debating on the immigration reform bill and on the other side undocumented immigrants are being deported from the country. This is what the immigration activists do not want the administration to do. They want the administration to stop deporting undocumented immigrants and they want President Obama to intervene in this issue and take necessary steps. Similarly, activists say that it is not right to deport the people who would become eligible for relief from deportation.