Bloomberg reports that the White House reached out to congressmen who are supposed to attend a rally in support of stopping deportations of undocumented immigrants who have children that are legal residents. The issue first came up in a town hall organized by Univision, where President Obama was asked if he could use executive orders to stop deportations.
Several members of Congress who were scheduled to attend a March 31 news conference on the issue said administration officials contacted them to voice concern about their participation. Until U.S. immigration law is overhauled, the lawmakers say, Obama should use his executive power to protect families facing deportation or separation because at least one parent is an illegal immigrant.“The staffers that are attached to us, the liaisons, they transmitted some concern,” said Representative Mike Honda of California, a former chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, referring to the White House legislative affairs office. “They would have loved us not to have gone to the press conference.”
