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 In photo undocumented immigrant activists gathered themselves last week for a standoff with Obama over his deportation record, and demanding he order a halt to the deportations of those who would be eligible for the federal DREAM Act. [MORE] From [HERE] Congressman Steve King (R-IA) said Friday that President Barack Obama's plan to issue an executive order implementing policies of the DREAM Act is unconstitutional and he plans to sue the Obama administration to delay its implementation. King claims that this executive order would effectively implement a law that was rejected by Congress and, therefore, Obama does not have the power to issue it. Obama spoke [transcript] on Friday following an announcement by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [official website] Secretary Janet Napolitano [official profile] that the department would be exercising "prosecutorial discretion" [JURIST report] by not deporting anyone under the age of 30 who was brought here as a child. Obama defended the executive branch's actions, saying that this is not amnesty, immunity, a path to citizenship or a permanent fix, but a "temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people."
Immigration has been a hot button issue in the US lately, especially with a presidential election coming up in November. Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] called for the release [JURIST report] of illegal immigrants being held in an Arizona prison, alleging that the conditions in the prison are unsanitary and in violation of the US Constitution [text]. Earlier this month, a federal judge heard arguments on whether Arizona citizens can join a class action lawsuit challenging Arizona's controversial immigration law. That law is also currently being challenged in the US Supreme Court [official website], where oral arguments were heard in April.
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