IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

Photo by REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

        The President announced a ruling by the Homeland Security Department yesterday that places a temporary (two-year) ban on the deportation of children of illegal immigrants, provided they are under thirty years old, were under sixteen years of age when they came here, have lived in the United States for at least five years, have no criminal record, have graduated from high school or are still in school, or have served in or are serving in the military.
        An estimated 800,000 young people (some say even more) are effected by the ruling, which is only a stop-gap measure, but a very important one, until Congress passes the Dream Act, or its equivalent. When the Senate Republicans successfully filibustered and prevented the passage of the Dream Act, which would have provided a path to citizenship for these young people, who consider themselves loyal Americans, they all, for no fault of their own, faced deportation to countries they've never called their homeland and whose language they may have forgotten or never knew.
        Mr. Romney called the ruling a short-term solution that will impede a long-term solution to the problem. His Republican allies view the ruling as a political ploy by the President to court Latino voters. A headline in the right-wing on-line publication Newsmax reads "Gingrich: Obama Pulled 'Election-year Gimmick' on Immigration."
        The ruling does indeed have political implications, and so does the Republicans' response, which is one more illustration of their total unwillingness to give the President credit for anything he does.
        It was inevitable that they would impugn the President's motives. Despite their accusations and regardless of the President's motivations, the bottom line is that it was, as the President declared, the right thing to do!