After President Obama suffered a key setback in his attempt to provide executive amnesty for illegal immigrants, the White House is making it clear that the president will continue prioritizing the deportation of illegal felons over other undocumented residents of the United States.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz explained yesterday that, although Obama’s deferred actions for parents of illegal immigrants has been stalled, other components of Obama’s executive actions are still in place.
“[T]he administration’s enforcement priorities, including our focus on deporting felons and not families, and many other executive actions on immigration continue to move forward,” he said.
Schultz indicated that the Obama administration was anxious to get the a legal case filed by 26 states against it finished as soon as possible, lamenting that it was causing a a headache for illegal immigrants that would benefit from their plans.
“Unfortunately, the litigation has created a great deal of uncertainty for people who would have been able to seek relief under these new deferred action policies,” he said.
But a speedy resolution seems unlikely. The litigation is expected to drag into 2016, making it a central issue in the next presidential campaign.
“It would be a shame if an issue so critical like this became mired in a political dispute,” Schultz concluded.
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