You're watching...
Immigration Attorney Alberto Cardenas and National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani on the President’s immigration policies.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Long lines of bill illegal immigrants occurring across the country today it helps senators consulates and attorneys' offices.
They were buying for a golden ticket so called deferred action on deportation.
It is the first step and the first day of the US citizenship and immigration services.
Agency and which the agency began accepting requests for worker permits.
Joining us now is Alberta were part of this junior attorney -- and mountains and -- and erotic.
-- and -- director of the national immigration reform.
Thank you gentlemen both for being here and now I know this is.
An important milestone in the work that you have undertaken for some years.
How do you feel tonight to see what the president has done -- -- battled Google help and support from reviewing your organization.
Well thank you I think that today is really -- historic moment for America and we've seen just today alone tens of thousands of young people who.
Are American and every single way except for.
A piece of paper who are actually able to just take a small step forward through this temporary measure that the Obama administration provided so you feel good one.
You feel that we're we're feeling very good for the country.
Today you saw what you still wanted to have a argument about what the president is about.
I'm -- -- -- your your -- well.
I guess all of us have been conditioned to bit to the battle of the the combat on the issue.
Better -- your reaction as you watched this unfold today.
It is historic but it's incomplete and congress needs to act.
The president cannot selectively enforce the law he cannot selectively do things without the congress having the authority.
That it is supposed to exercise come to the table and come to fruition it's an incomplete action in the sense that these temporary worker programs are exactly that their temporary.
And they do not solve the immigration process going forward.
You say he cannot.
But he had it's.
While our wealth obviously shouldn't buddy -- -- -- he should not got a group.
Like average.
Very you know reality is here.
That we have a process now under way that.
Alejandro my -- as the head of the citizenship and immigration agency says.
We'll take months and months he says now at least six months to process these applications.
Which you know who was going to be just a few months now we've got a backlog of about -- five years for that agency.
And -- I mean this is -- mean if you say and is -- agree with you it's historic.
But it's also -- -- perhaps I and an absolute mess in the making is it not.
It is a it is a challenge to the the organization of US citizenship and immigration services but there's two things here one is that backlog.
And naturalization applications -- actually shrunk so that now it takes some personal -- six months to go from.
Filing that.
Immigration -- naturalization application.
To the oath of citizenship and there's -- taking the test.
-- -- and under oath that -- in between.
The six month process between now and that deferred action -- request and a decision is that she really good because it shows that.
US CIS is gonna be diligent they're going to make sure that people are filling up their paperwork correctly.
As the saying goes in our your terrific.
But the fact is we're gonna just about five million people in that backlog were in line legally.
They're getting jumped right now and and you know what and I know what.
And an -- I don't see any point in quibbling about it it's the fact is the president has ordered that it is his priority it is going forward.
-- but there's no way to suggest that that's not moving them ahead because.
You're talking about an agency with -- 181000 employees of potentially two million applicants here.
That's our that's -- that's what's -- Iraq.
But that's why director -- through the foreign 65 dollars per application is actually able to staff up to serve.
The individuals are requesting deferred action there for the people were applying for citizenship and are going to that process.
They're not losing any time so he's actually created a separate line completely aligned it has.
