President Obama is not a king or an emperor, according to the White House, but he still has lawful authority to issue executive amnesty for illegal immigrants.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest explained to reporters that Obama still stood by his remarks about not being a king or an emperor of the United States, allowing him to act unilaterally on immigration reform.
“Absolutely,” Earnest replied after ABC reporter Jon Karl asked if Obama still stood by his remarks made in 2011.
When confronted by his 2013 comments in a Telemundo interview about not extending the deferred action for DREAMers to their parents, Earnest would only say that he didn’t want to get ahead of the president’s announcement.
Earnest added that Obama ordered an extensive review of potential executive actions on immigration by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security after he made the comments in 2013.
The legal justification for his executive actions will be released by the White House at the time of his decision, Earnest explained.
“I think as a general matter as it relates to the immigration reform decision that rests on the president’s desk, that the president is confident that whatever action he will take will be within the confines of the law,” Earnest said.