A Trifecta of Illegitimacy

Let’s review a few basics about the Rule of Law in the United States of America.  First of all, the Executive Branch (in the form of the President) is given the power to enforce federal law by our United States Constitution.  In contrast, the Legislative Branch (in the form of the Congress) is given the power to make the law.  So, for example, if the Legislative Branch has passed a statute that grants all refugees seeking political asylum the absolute right to file such a claim when they reach our nation’s borders (which it has, in the Refugee Act of 1980), then the President cannot simply declare that right to be “suspended” and instruct officers with the Customs and Border Protection office to turn such refugees away when they arrive at U.S. airports or other ports of entry.

As a side note, none of the Executive Orders or Presidential Directives issued by President Obama relating to the enforcement of the immigration laws directly contravened explicit language contained in a statute passed by Congress.  The legal debate over the unilateral actions taken by President Obama concerned the scope of the President’s discretion to choose how to enforce the law and how to prioritize deportations.  They did not concern whether the President had the authority to order government officials to ignore explicit commands contained in the law.  The Order by President Trump to “suspend” the entry of refugees from specified countries without complying with the provisions required under the Refugee Act of 1980 is in direct conflict with an Act of Congress.

Second, the United States has signed treaties that obligate us to treat persons who are “refugees” in certain ways.

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New Bloggers Start Off the New Year

We are happy to welcome our two guest bloggers for the month of January.

Our Alumni Blogger of the month is Rebeca Lopez.  Rebeca is an associate at Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee, where she is a member of the Labor, Employment & Immigration Law Practice Group.  Her work involves a wide variety of labor and employment matters, including wage and hour claims, employment discrimination, and conducting internal investigations involving employees. Rebeca also assists clients with drafting and enforcing employment policies and agreements.

Rebeca graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University Law School. While in law school, Rebeca served as Business Editor of the Marquette Law Review and interned in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin for Judge Lynn S. Adelman. Prior to law school, Rebeca was a Regional Coordinator and an Office Manager for a United States Senator.

Our Student Blogger for the month of January is Laura Mikeworth.   Laura is a 3L at Marquette Law School and a graduate of Marquette’s School of Arts and Sciences.  She currently serves as an Articles Editor on the Marquette Law Review, as well as a student leader for Marquette Law School’s Academic Success Program.  After graduation, Laura will be joining Foley & Larder LLP in their Milwaukee office.

Welcome!

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Big Dreams and Hidden Harms

One of the first choices that the Trump Administration will face after the upcoming inauguration is what to do about the “Dreamers.”  The name Dreamer has been used both to refer specifically to the young adults currently participating in the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival program (DACA) and, more generally, to any undocumented residents of the United States who were brought to this country by their parents when they were minors.

It is not difficult to be sympathetic to the plight of the Dreamers.  As undocumented residents of the United States, they were subject to immediate deportation under the law as it existed prior to 2012.  However, these longtime residents of the United States often had little memory of their birth country and may not have spoken any language other than English.  They grew up in the United States, and attended U.S. schools, and as a result they share the same hopes and dreams of any native born young adult.  Moreover, they were not morally complicit in their parents’ decision to enter the United States.  Prior to 2012, approximately 2 million people essentially found themselves trapped in a form of limbo – feeling American, unconnected to any foreign country, and yet unable to work lawfully in the United States or to plan for their future.

Legislation was first introduced in Congress in 2001 to resolve this situation and to permit these persons to obtain legal residence in the United States.  Titled the Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (or DREAM Act), this first bill and similar versions introduced in subsequent years were designed to create a 6-year pathway to permanent legal residency.  To be eligible under the DREAM Act, a young adult had to have been brought to the United States at a young age, was required to be a college graduate or a military veteran (or be currently enrolled or enlisted), and could not have a criminal record.  The DREAM Act and its successor bills boasted bipartisan support but never passed both houses of Congress, either as a standalone bill or as a component part of a comprehensive immigration reform package.

Frustrated by congressional inaction, President Obama chose to extend relief to the Dreamers in the form of a Presidential Directive.

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