A lasting solution? Not quite, but millions of undocumented immigrants are now able to go to sleep without the nightmare of deportation for the next three years. On Thursday evening, President Obama announced sweeping changes to immigration enforcement through the use of executive action.
He announced that he will allocate more resources to the border to stem the flow of illegal crossings, expand “work authorization for high-skilled workers in line for a green card,” and extend deportation protection to millions of unauthorized immigrant parents of U.S. citizens who meet certain requirements. Our panel of experts will explain the ins-and-outs of the president’s plan and the political reactions to his action.
Our guests include:
- Alina Das, associate professor of Clinical Law and Co-Director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law
- Amy Goodman, host & executive producer of Democracy Now!
- Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF
- Cristina Jimenez, co-founder and the managing director of United We Dream
- James Carafano, national security expert for The Heritage Foundation
The wait continues in Ferguson, Missouri. While Alderman Antonio French calls for 400 trauma counselors, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called for a state of emergency. We’ll discuss the preparations on the part of the state and the legal ramifications of declaring a state of emergency. Goodman and Cartagena will be joined by:
- Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference
- Vince Warren, executive director of Center for Constitutional Rights
- Nina Turner, Ohio state Senator (D-25)
Senator Turner will stick around to share her next steps and discuss the news out of Ohio, including the proposed “heartbeat bill” that would prohibit abortion once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, as early as six weeks into a woman's pregnancy. Rev. Barber will bring us an update on North Carolina NAACP’s request for the federal government to investigate the hanging death of 17 year old black youth, Lennon Lacy.
All that, plus, this week’s Foot Soldiers who stood up for the least of thee at the UN in Geneva.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland. Your tweets and comments might even appear on the show!