Pro-Amnesty Group Praises Decision to Seek Stay: We Have Waited Enough For Executive Amnesty

The National Immigration Law Center praised the Obama administration’s decision to seek an emergency stay on U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s ruling temporarily blocking President Obama’s executive amnesty.

“The Department of Justice is standing on the right side of the law and on the right side of history. We – as immigrants and as Americans – have waited for nearly a quarter century for these much-needed improvements to our broken immigration system,” Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center said Friday.

“We should not allow a flawed legal decision to delay these changes any longer,” she added.

Earlier Friday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced the administration would file the request for a stay no later than Monday and continue on the path to appeal.

Monday, Hanen temporarily blocked the administration’s executive amnesty, ruling in favor of 26 states challenging Obama’s actions.

National Immigration Law Center was one of the groups that filed an amicus brief in support of the Obama administration’s actions.

According to Hincapié, the move to request a stay represents a “strong stand” in support of seeing executive amnesty go forward.

“Today, the Department of Justice took a strong stand to stop unnecessary delays in the implementation of these important immigration initiatives, which were blocked in a decision that was so clearly outside the legal mainstream, we are confident it will be overturned,” she said.

Another pro-amnesty organization added that it is “pleased” to hear of the administration’s move to allow executive amnesty go forward.

“Latinos are in full support of the President’s Executive Order that will provide relief to millions of undocumented families,” Arturo Carmona, executive director of Presente.org, said. “This hateful Republican attack on immigrants and their families is destined to fail both legally and electorally.”

Carmona added that Republicans will be “punished” by Latino voters.