This executive order is projected to define the president’s immigration policy legacy.
“It continues to be my belief that if I can’t see congressional action, that I need to do at least what I can in order to make the system work better,” Obama said in his press briefing last week.
Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at a press conference at the White House on Friday that the timing of the executive order is dependent on recommendations from Attorney General Eric Holder.
According to most recent research done by Pew Research’s Hispanic Trends project in 2011 , an estimated 110,000 undocumented immigrants are living in Indiana.
The executive overhaul is a contentious issue among candidates for congressional seats in the upcoming midterm election Nov. 4.
Nationally, Obama has caught heat from both parties for bypassing Congress on immigration.
“I believe that any executive action by any presidents with 90 days to go before the election is probably a political draw,” said 9th Congressional District candidate Bill Bailey. “The opposition sees it to rally those opposed to the president and his party, while the members of the president’s party use it to their advantage as best they can.”
Rep. Todd Young, D-9th District, has not made any recent comments on the subject of immigration.
Young most recently voted in favor of appropriating funds to the Homeland Security, Justice and Defense departments for stronger law enforcement practices at the southern United States border and more immigration judges.
The bill and recent executive planning can be partially attributed to the more than 57,000 unaccompanied children coming from Central American nations this summer.
Of those children, 245 were sent to foster care homes in ?Indiana.
Bailey said the answer to immigration does not necessarily lie within what Obama is attempting to do but rather with stronger border security and job opportunities in Mexico.
“If one simply focuses on securing the border, then the mechanics of that are pretty simple,” Bailey said.
“It’s technology and manpower, but that cost goes on year after year after year.
So running parallel to that effort has to be creating, helping to create economic opportunity south of the border that reduces the pressure to come into the United States illegally.”
Obama said in his press conference that the influx of children has been on a downward trend the past few months.
