{"id":7481,"date":"2014-08-20T11:45:31","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T15:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=7481"},"modified":"2018-12-28T14:46:59","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T19:46:59","slug":"the-most-transparent-administration-in-history-huddling-behind-closed-doors-with-lobbyists-on-immigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2014\/08\/20\/the-most-transparent-administration-in-history-huddling-behind-closed-doors-with-lobbyists-on-immigration\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cMost Transparent Administration in History\u201d Huddling Behind Closed Doors with Lobbyists on Immigration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TheAs we all know, this is the most transparent administration in history. We know this, of course, because President Obama has told us so on repeated occasions. Here he is in 2010<\/a> and 2014<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Apparently The New York Times<\/i> hasn\u2019t been paying attention. According to a headline story in Monday\u2019s edition<\/a>, \u201cBehind Closed Doors, Obama Crafts Executive Actions,\u201d the paper details the many policies that are being made or radically altered in secret. The most prominent example of this sort of secret policymaking, cited by the Times<\/i>, is the behind-the-scenes effort by the administration to implement a massive, unlegislated illegal alien amnesty.<\/p>\n

Noting President Obama\u2019s very public Rose Garden speech in June declaring his intent to take executive action on immigration, the paper observes that, \u201cSince then, the process of drafting what will likely be the only significant immigration changes of his presidency \u2014 and his most consequential use of executive power \u2014 has been conducted almost entirely behind closed doors, where lobbyists and interest groups invited to the White House are making their case out of public view.\u201d The story goes on to note that, \u201cCecilia Mu\u00f1oz, Mr. Obama\u2019s top immigration adviser and the domestic policy chief, has led meetings attended by White House political aides and lawyers to hear from interest groups, individual companies and business groups about what executive actions they believe the president should take on immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, \u201cthe most consequential use of executive power\u201d (or, more aptly, the most consequential breach of the Constitution\u2019s Separation of Powers doctrine) is being hatched \u201calmost entirely behind closed doors\u201d by \u201clobbyists,\u201d \u201cinterest groups,\u201d \u201cindividual companies,\u201d and \u201cbusiness groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even those who agree with the president\u2019s ultimate objective on immigration policy are justifiably concerned<\/a> about what is going on. We should all be.