Obama: 'Deport felons, not families'; Utah reacts


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OREM — Thursday was Maria Torres' 15th birthday, an occasion many families from Latin cultures observe with a formal celebration marking the transition from childhood to young womanhood.

But Torres' father is in deportation proceedings, which means a big party probably isn't in the works.

She's hoping, instead, that the executive order announced by President Barack Obama on Thursday will bring relief to her family, allowing her father, Andres, to stay in the United States, continue to work, and keep them together.

"I do hope they give out the papers … so they have the right to work here. They're hard workers, and they just want to be with their families," the 10th-grader said.

Andres Torres said it is unclear to him whether Obama's executive order will apply to him. His final deportation hearing is in January, but his attorney, Chris Keen, said he believes Torres, who has no criminal history aside from a few traffic tickets, has a strong case and could be allowed to remain in the United States irrespective of Obama's announced reforms.

He and his wife, Rosa, who have two children who were born in the United States, hope he will qualify for a deferred action program for parents of U.S. citizens. The order will offer work authorization for to up to 4 million people if they can document that they have lived in the United States for five years or longer, among other requirements.

"If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you're a criminal, you'll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up," Obama said during his national address.

The executive order has the potential to help a lot of people, Andres Torres said. "My wife says, 'I hope you're one of them.'"


All Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, should be concerned about President Obama's blatant disregard of his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Our broken immigration system compromises our national security and hampers our economy. However, the issue must be addressed by Congress.

–Utah Gov. Gary Herbert


The reforms announced by Obama also will expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which deferred deportations of young immigrants, age 30 and younger, who came to the United States as children but were not authorized to be in the country.

The order also modifies federal immigrant detention procedures and will add resources to strengthen security at the border.

It also includes provisions to facilitate visas for people who invest in the United States and those who pursue science, technology, engineering and math degrees.

Brandy Farmer, president of Salt Lake's Centro Civico Mexicano, said she believes the reforms will be a boon to the nation's economy and provide peace of mind to families who live in constant fear of a loved one being deported.

According to estimates, there are more than 100,000 people in Utah and some 11.4 million nationwide who are not authorized to work or live in the United States.

"This is going to be a boost to our economy. By golly, we need it right now. We want our families to stay together," Farmer said.

But others, including Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, said Obama's use of executive orders to reform the nation's immigration system "will only poison the well and make resolution of the matter more difficult."

Herbert said he was "disturbed" that the president would take such divisive and unilateral action.

"All Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, should be concerned about President Obama’s blatant disregard of his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Our broken immigration system compromises our national security and hampers our economy. However, the issue must be addressed by Congress," Herbert said in a statement.

But other Utahns praised Obama's actions, calling them a major step forward in reforming the nation's broken immigration laws.

Andres Torres and Rosa Better greet their son Gustavo Andres Torres as he arrives home from school in Orem, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)
Andres Torres and Rosa Better greet their son Gustavo Andres Torres as he arrives home from school in Orem, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News)

“Today, our President, despite the years of dysfunction in Washington, took a major step forward to ensure that families are kept together and our documented and undocumented brothers and sisters have the opportunity to seek the same thing we are all after — a better life for ourselves and our children," said Peter Corroon, chairman of the Utah Democratic Party.

But Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Obama's address sent a "dangerous message" to the rest of the world: "Break our laws and you will be rewarded."

"As long as the delays and penalties for navigating the legal process are more painful than the consequences of coming to the United States illegally, we will continue to have a problem regardless of how high or wide our fence is. Our immigration system is broken and in desperate need of reform. It cannot be fixed with a 'pen' and a 'phone,'" he said.

People who work daily in the immigration system, Utah immigration attorneys, took a different view.

Skyler Anderson, chairman of the Utah chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization welcomed and supported Obama's announcement as "an important first step toward immigration reform."

"As immigration attorneys, we see firsthand the grave injustices and unintended consequences stemming from our nation’s broken and dysfunctional immigration laws. The actions described in the president’s announcement tonight would be an important first step to ameliorate some of the harm these laws have caused our citizens as individuals and our country as a whole for the past several decades," he said.

The attorneys called on Congress to permanently repair the nation's broken immigration system.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the path to get "real and lasting immigration reform back on track is not for the president to insist on his my-way-or-the-highway approach, but rather to build trust by working together on areas where we can agree, like fixing high-skilled immigration."

Obama was roundly criticized for his use of executive authority as a power grab. But Anderson noted presidents from both parties have used executive orders to alter immigration policy dating back to 1956.

The president fired back at the criticism in his address: "To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill."

In 2013, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill that provided a path to citizenship for people unauthorized to live in the United States but also beefed up border security and required employers to check all job applicants’ legal status using the government’s E-Verify system.

Alicia Cervantes and Brandy Farmer hug as Utah Latinos watch the live announcement of President Obama̢۪s executive order at Centro Civico Mexicano in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Alicia Cervantes and Brandy Farmer hug as Utah Latinos watch the live announcement of President Obama̢۪s executive order at Centro Civico Mexicano in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

The comprehensive bill ran into roadblocks in the House, because many House leaders said they preferred a piecemeal approach to new immigration legislation. The issue has stalled since.

Community activist Tony Yapias said many Latinos in Utah have questions about whether they will qualify for the reforms or whether they will remain in place if Congress takes up immigration.

Yapias said his immediate reaction to Obama's announcement was one of relief in the respect that the order will press the pause button on many deportations. But the order is temporary. "At some point, Congress has to become responsible adults and resolve this issue once and for all."

Mostly, he was happy for families, who are nagged with the worry that loved ones are subject to deportation. "We won't see that separation of families any more. I think that's good. Utahns understand how important families are," Yapias said.

Andres Torres says his family "is everything" to him so he hopes Obama's program is good news for him.

In the meantime, he'll work his jobs as a kitchen manager and at a local hotel. Rosa Torres also works at a hotel in the laundry room.

In the evenings, Andres Torres said he enjoys time at home with the family, particularly helping his son, Gustavo, with his homework. The 9-year-old boy has a learning disability, but he has made a lot progress thanks to a special education program, his father said.

The Torres family has dealt with deportations before. Their granddaughter Christel moved in with them after her parents were deported.

The clock is ticking, but the Torres family holds out hope that Obama's announcement will make a difference for them.

"I hope I get to stay," Andres Torres said. "We have to pray that everything will be OK."

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Marjorie Cortez

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