Immigration Activists Face Deportation Following White House Protest

image
Published: 18 Sep, 2013
1 min read

A small team of 7 immigration activists chained themselves to the White House fence Wednesday. The demonstration was prompted by President Barack Obama's announcement Monday that he would not stop deportations of undocumented immigrants which have climbed to their highest rate than under any other president.

According to the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, a record-setting 409,849 undocumented immigrants were deported last year.

Reform legislation, also called the DREAM Act, has been halted in the House of Representatives. President Obama told Telemundo Monday that Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) decision not to call the legislation for a vote was to blame.

"The votes are there. The only thing that’s preventing it is– you know, Speaker Boehner’s decided that– he doesn’t wanna call it right now.”

Immigration activists have been pushing the president to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) memorandum which was implemented in June 2012. The executive directive grants 'prosecutorial discretion' for customs and immigration agencies regarding the children of illegal immigrants.

Children who were brought into the United States before age 16, have continuously resided in the country since 2007, and fit additional criteria are eligible. However, those over 31 are not and an estimated 200,000 parent deportations have occurred between 2010 and 2012.

Pressure now resides on the Obama administration to determine whether or not to deport the activists, all of whom have been reported as undocumented. On the same token, however, pressing charges could backfire among Latino voters who have overwhelmingly voted to reelect him in 2012, 70 percent to 30 percent in favor of Republican Mitt Romney.

Would you deport the undocumented activists?

You Might Also Like

Caution tape with US Capitol building in the background.
Did the Republicans or Democrats Start the Gerrymandering Fight?
The 2026 midterm election cycle is quickly approaching. However, there is a lingering question mark over what congressional maps will look like when voters start to cast their ballots, especially as Republicans and Democrats fight to obtain any electoral advantage possible. ...
11 Nov, 2025
-
8 min read
Utah state capitol.
Utah Judge Delivers a Major Blow to Gerrymandering
A Utah state judge has struck down the congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, ruling that it violates the state’s voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering and ordering new district lines for the 2026 elections....
11 Nov, 2025
-
2 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read