Obama’s Immigration Executive Orders Compared to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation

Many Americans may disagree with President Barack Obama’s treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States but there certainly are many who are praising him for this stand.

One progressive group, Century Foundation, has put Obama’s move to issue an executive order (EO) deemed as highly favorable to illegal immigrants on top of a list of executive actions that are considered to be leaving a mark on the country.

Advancing a Progressive Agenda

The report, titled “The New Era of Executive Action: How President Obama is Advancing a Progressive Agenda,” lists six sets of issues for which Obama issued EOs that help him accomplish his goals.

Defending Obama’s actions, particularly in his immigration policy, the report pointed out the Emancipation Proclamation of former President Abraham Lincoln as a precedent for Obama’s “maneuver,” through executive actions, over a gridlocked Congress. The Emancipation Proclamation was also an EO and it led to the freeing of slaves in states that had seceded, a historic action that is now being praised in almost all history books.

The report concluded that Obama did not abuse his authority in issuing EOs, especially the 22 listed on the report. It even hailed Obama for “going it alone” to protect illegal immigrants, workers from the LGBT sector, and the environment. Moreover, the report criticized Congress for being an “obstructionist” and cited how this obstructionism forced the government into a gridlock requiring drastic measures.

Obama, the report asserts, has been forced to use executive action to pursue his policy agenda. The report adds that contrary to protestations against the President’s executive actions, he is well within legal authority to issue EOs. Furthermore, the report cites how congressional gridlocks in history have provoked presidents to “grab the bully pulpit and consider going it alone.”

Republicans vs. Obama’s Immigration Actions

Republicans in Congress have joined forces in engaging Obama in a court battle over his immigration actions. Top Republicans from Texas and 25 other states have challenged the legality of Obama’s unilateral actions by filing a case last May 11 at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

In an amicus brief, the Republican lawmakers from various states argued that Congress has already created a comprehensive immigration scheme but Obama’s immigration actions don’t jibe with this scheme. The brief was endorsed by 113 Republicans including presidential aspirant Ted Cruz of Texas.

The case filed by the Republican lawmakers focuses on the two executive actions taken by Obama after the midterm elections. These are the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Both of these were mentioned and praised in “The New Era of Executive Action” report of Century Foundation.

Image credit: US President Barack Obama arriving on Biggs Army Airfield, El Paso, Texas, by Sgt. Valerie Lopez, owned by U.S. federal government under Public Domain United States.