Well. if they did. history does not recall it. Third. the scope of the relief now being considered by the administration is entirely consistent with the Family Fairness program after it was expanded by President George Herbert Walker Bush. According to demographic work performed by the Pew Research Center. there were an estimated 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 1990. By extending the Family Fairness program to cover 1.5 million unauthorized immigrants at the beginning of that year. President Bush used executive authority to protect approximately 42.9 percent of the undocumented population from removal and offer them work authorization. I dont remember any uproar in Congress. Many of us were here at that time. Earlier this year. the Pew Research Center estimated that there were 11.7 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of March 2012. If the administration takes steps to protect 5 million undocumented immigrants from removal. as a recent article suggested. that would extend temporary relief to 42.7 percenta lower percentage than President Bush protectedof the undocumented population now in the country. Finally. the most important lesson that can be learned from the Family Fairness program is that bold executive action can sometimes help change the legislative dynamic. helping to break the gridlock and pave the way to legislative reform. The only reason the ReaganBush Family Fairness program did not provide indefinite voluntary departure and employment authorization for many years without legislative approvalessentially a grant of deferred actionis that Congress did act and take steps. following the lead of the Presidents. to largely codify the Presidents program and provide such relief for removal and employment authorization itself.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigrants