A surge of undocumented child-immigrants at the U.S.’ southern border appeared to be fomenting a political crisis for President Barack Obama, with some Republicans calling for his impeachment this week.
In an op-ed, former Republican vice-presidential nominee and ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wrote, “It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the Left or Right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.”
She added, “Without borders, there is no nation. Obama knows this. Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate. This is his fundamental transformation of America.”
Her comments, which appeared to get wide traction in the media, came even as the White House asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funds that will be channelled toward adding more immigration judges, speeding up deportation hearings, expanding detention facilities for migrants awaiting court appearances and adding more border patrol agents.
While this request by Mr. Obama appeared to contradict the assumption of Ms. Palin’s op-ed that the President was diverting resources away from the border, critics also lashed out at Mr. Obama for not making a visit to a border despite his travelling to Texas for a two-day fundraising tour this week.
The latest crisis comes on the back of an intractable stalemate in Congress over passing comprehensive immigration reform.
Although the Democrat-controlled Senate has passed a proposal for such reform, the House of Representatives, in the hands of the Republicans, has refused to allow this bill to reach the floor for debate, instead emphasising their preference for piecemeal reform.
Meanwhile the fate of somewhere between 11 to 12 million undocumented workers in the country, which includes nearly 250,000 Indians according to Department of Homeland Security figures, hangs in the balance.
Some relief for this immigrant community has come in the form of executive actions enacted or proposed by Mr. Obama, most notably including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is a measure that allows DHS to “exercise prosecutorial discretion,” in avoiding the deportation of undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria.
