FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Just in time for the election and courting the Hispanic vote, the Obama Administration is out with another way to ignore the nation's immigration laws.
The Department of Homeland Security now wants to issue so-called "unlawful presence waivers."
These are meant for illegal aliens who are relatives of U.S. citizens.
The way the law works now, these aliens must return to their native country and request a waiver of inadmissibility.
But the federal government says the proposed changes would "significantly reduce" the length of time U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives.
Critics are slamming the proposal, calling it "stealth amnesty" and another attempt at backdoor amnesty. Which is exactly what it is.
Mr. Obama promised federal immigration reform when he was running for president in 2008, but it never happened.
Instead of reform it looks more like bending of the rules for some of the estimated 12 million illegal aliens. Gee, just in time for the president's reelection campaign.
Last year the administration started cutting back on deportations of illegal aliens without criminal records - and reviewing all existing cases.
That resulted in a big drop in deportations even though one study shows that immigrants with criminal records don't necessarily make up a larger portion of those deported.
President Obama told Univision in February that the administration is re-emphasizing its focus "on criminals and at the borders" and not on "hard-working families."
All designed to get enough Hispanic votes to win a second term.
Here’s my question to you: Why does President Obama continue to refuse to enforce the nation's immigration laws?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Brett in Pahrump, Nevada:
Jack, President Obama is unashamedly pandering to Hispanics for their votes. This president will do anything to get re-elected, including offering back-door amnesty to those who have broken our laws. I wonder what's next from Obama, nefarious deals with foreign leaders (i.e. Russia), rejection of Keystone XL pipeline, telling the Supreme Court how to judge, not passing a budget in over three years?
Curtis in Philadelphia:
I don't know, Jack, but I believe a precedent was set when Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2, refused to enforce the nations immigration laws. And how much do you want to bet that the next president (either in '12 or '16) won't enforce these laws either? The business of America is business and business needs cheap labor.
David in Tacoma, Washington:
"Show me the money" is the catchphrase of Washington politics. Properly taking on illegal immigration would make Obamacare look like chump change. An incumbent president already defined by Republicans as a spendthrift is not about to hand them the election.
Ed in Texas:
Not sure I agree with you on this one, Jack. According to a 2011 ABC News report: President Obama set a record for the number of deportations of illegal immigrants which has "drawn scorn from Hispanic Americans."
Gary in Arizona:
Jack, As a 35-year resident of Arizona, I'd just love to have the answer to that one myself. Our state implemented Senate Bill 1070 to address illegal immigration since the federal government isn't doing anything about enforcement and Obama's suing us for doing so. The guy sits in the Oval Office like some kind of a King but hasn't a clue what's going on in the kingdom.