WASHINGTON (AP) — While the White House has condemned Donald Trump's call for a ban on Muslim immigrants as "disqualifying" and "toxic," President Barack Obama may have only himself to blame if a President Trump ever succeeds in putting his plan, or some version of it, into action.
In his efforts to work around Congress, Obama has made the aggressive use of executive power, particularly on immigration, an increasingly effective and politically accepted presidential tool. While legal scholars are divided on whether Obama has accelerated or merely continued a drift of power toward the executive branch, there's little debate that he's paved a path for his successor.
BOSTON – Sanctuary city defenders from current and ex-state lawmakers to faith leaders, immigrant-rights advocates, a pediatrician and former American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts leader all lined up Thursday to deliver impassioned remarks in opposition to the latest version of a bill that seeks to penalize these communities by stripping them of state aid.
"I have rarely seen a more vague or problematic piece of legislation as H 1856," said John Roberts, the former executive director of the state ACLU, referring to the bill introduced by Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica). "What federal immigration laws are local authorities required or even legally allowed to enforce?"
