World
Defying Congress, Obama overhauls immigration system
Washington: Asserting his presidential authority, a defiant President Barack Obama resorted to unilateral executive action to fix and protect five million illegal immigrants, including thousands from India, from deportation.
In a prime time address to the nation from the East Room of the White House Thursday night, he rejected accusations by opposition Republicans, who are set to gain control of both chambers of US Congress in January following their victory in November elections, that his action amounted to amnesty
to undocumented immigrants.
“Today our immigration system is broken and everybody knows it,” Obama said. “It’s been this way for decades and for decades we haven’t done much about it,” he said in justification of his unilateral action without the consent of Congress.
“Amnesty is the immigration system we have today – millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules while politicians use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time.”
Obama argued that “mass amnesty would be unfair, but mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character”.
“What I’m describing is accountability – a common-sense, middle-ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law.”
Under his plan immigration, authorities will be asked to go after “felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids,” Obama said. “We’ll prioritise, just like law enforcement does every day.”
As he spoke, crowds of immigrants wearing winter coats and colourful caps rallied and cheered outside the White House in chilly weather with many holding placards reading: “Gracias Presidente Obama”.
While 5.9 million Mexicans make up over half of an estimated 11.2 million unauthorised immigrants in the US, India is the fourth top source country with 450,000 living in the country without papers, according to a new Pew Research Centre report.
About 8.1 million unauthorised immigrants make up 5.1 percent of the US labour force, the report said. Many of them are engaged in menial low paying jobs that Americans don’t want to do.
Another step that would likely benefit Indians was his proposal to “make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business leaders have proposed”.
With 168,367 H-1B visas, India cornered nearly two thirds of the total work permits for skilled workers in 2012.
According to a White House fact sheet three critical elements of Obama’s executive actions are: cracking down on illegal immigration at the border, deporting felons, not families and accountability – criminal background checks and taxes.
The President’s actions will also streamline legal immigration to boost US economy and will promote naturalisation for those who qualify, it said.
Accusing Obama of stretching his powers as president, his conservative critics vowed to do whatever was necessary to stop his plan.
Republican Mitch McConnell, who will become the Senate majority leader in January said Obama would regret choosing to ignore the will of the American people.
“If President Obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, Congress will act,” he warned.
As they mulled action ranging from censure to defunding Obama’s actions to impeachment, the Washington Post had a piece of advice for Republicans looking for revenge: “they have a ready way to take it. It’s called legislation.”
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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