#ImmigrationAction
Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO, Statement in Response to President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration
Contact: Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO, 404.745.2580, jerry@2014old.galeo.org
(Atlanta, GA): November 21, 2014 – Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s Executive Action speech and policy changes:
“This is an historic moment for immigrants and allies in over 25 years of working towards a solution to our broken immigration system. We rejoice with the millions who will be able to come forward, get a work permit and lift the burden of fear of deportation off their family’s shoulders. This decision by President Obama will be transformative for millions of families across the nation and hundreds of thousands of families in Georgia.
The process to allow many to come forward for work permits and temporary status, along with the ending of Secure Communities will go a long way to ensure that as a nation, we shift prioritizing resources to deport felons and not families.
In Georgia, 116,000 undocumented immigrants reside with a US citizen child. If these immigrants are able to apply for deferred action, it would lead to a $170 million increase in tax revenues, over five years. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/247296797/Economic-Benefits-of-Executive-Action-in-Georgia)
President Obama’s action is an important step forward for the work ahead of fixing our broken immigration system, but it does not replace the work that is needed to pass a comprehensive fix with Congressional action. The President had to act because of inaction in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has been over 512 days since the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill that would permanently address our immigration issues in this country.
Our nation needs leadership and not the status quo. The American people deserve leaders who will step up and do what they can to solve the serious issues our nation faces. President Obama has taken this necessary step to demonstrate leadership. Instead of complaining about the President’s actions, Congressional leaders need to get to work and demonstrate to the American public that they too can lead and govern, by passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will override the need for Executive Action and address the broken immigration system once and for all.
The work for Congressional action continues until we have a Congress willing to tackle this issue in a humane manner.”
###