California's Immigration Activists Furious with White House Delay

California’s immigration activists are furious at President Barack Obama’s recent decision to postpone taking executive action to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, breaking a promise to do so by summer’s end.

Los Angeles CBS News affiliate KCAL 9 reports that local immigration reform advocates are convinced that Obama is simply bowing to political pressure. 

Joseph Villela, senior policy advocate at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Right of Los Angeles, told KCAL, “Once again they are miscalculating whether or not the Latino and Asian vote is going to go out in the next election. In our perception we are doing to do our best to make sure they go out and punish or reward those who were for immigration reform and those who were against inaction.”

In Sacramento, local NBC News affiliate KRCA 3 reported on one family that has lived in the United States for 20 years. The Campos family is comprised of the father, mother and oldest daughter, Diana, 20, who are all undocumented immigrants; and two younger daughters who were born in the United States. Diana was born in Mexico and arrived in the U.S. as an infant. 

The father said of Obama, “He’s delaying his own promises.”Diana, a student at ARC who had been accepted at the Berklee College of Music but could not apply for scholarships, added: “And again, it’s empty words and broken promises. And it’s important to know I am an American. I’m an undocumented American. I’m not a foreigner. I’m here.” Her younger sister, who will attend UC San Diego on a scholarship, told KRCA, “I’m angry, I’m frustrated, I’m hurt…It’s frustrating to think I have all these things and that my family doesn’t. It hurts so much to see them struggle while I’m here, you know. Even if it isn’t my fault.”

Republicans maintain that Obama’s executive action would have been unconstitutional, regardless. The President has said he will likely take the anticipated action after the November midterm elections, prompting charges that he is delaying only for political reasons.

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