Between now and Obama’s new “deadline” for taking executive action on immigration, 70,000 immigrants could be torn apart from their families, thanks to the nation’s broken immigration system. Pedro could be deported. So could many others whose loved ones are one unlucky traffic stop from removal.
This message was underscored today by American Fraternity and We Belong Together, who brought 30 children whose parents have already been deported or are currently in deportation proceedings, from Florida to Washington, DC to hold a vigil in front of the White House. President Obama’s delay has enormously serious consequences: immigrants like the parents of some of these children may be deported by the time the 2014 elections are over. Will Obama be the one to tell them that politics are the reason why they can no longer see their parents?