President Barack Obama drew mixed reactions across Georgia Thursday after he outlined his historic plan to shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation.
Atlanta area immigrants applauded, cried and chanted “Yes, we can!” after seeing Obama’s televised address. They watched his speech on a makeshift white paper movie screen tacked on a wall of the Atlanta headquarters for the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. GLAHR Executive Director Adelina Nicholls addressed the crowd, calling the president’s plan “an important victory for our community’s undocumented immigrants and their families.”
“By collectively raising our voices against inhumane immigration practices,” she said, “our community has shown the power of mobilizing to demand for the right to live, work and support our loved ones without fear of deportation.”
The president also drew swift condemnation from his Republican critics in Congress.
“President Obama continues to circumvent Congress by executive order,” Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson said in a prepared statement. “This is the wrong way to govern. Bottom line, any attempt to circumvent Congress and grant legal status to millions is unacceptable. We must stop the President from executing bad policy and will consider all legislative and legal options when determining the best course of action to do so.”
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