Obama: "I'll Do Immigration Reform Myself." (And The GOP's Peril At Doing Nothing)

Obama: I'll do it myself. "The president said he has directed Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to move enforcement resources to the southern U.S. border, to focus on removing undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes....Obama also is asking his advisers to find steps...to change the U.S. immigration system for the millions of undocumented immigrants...who haven’t broken laws....Obama separately asked Congress for emergency funds and legal authority to stem an increasing flow of undocumented immigrants — especially children traveling without adults — from Central American countries." Angela Greiling Keane and Derek Wallbank in Bloomberg.

Explainer: 4 ways Obama can reform immigration himself. Danny Vinik in The New Republic.

Once again, Obama is facing pressure from immigration activists. "More than 52,000 unaccompanied children and 39,000 women with children have been apprehended at the border this year....The administration also is preparing to ask Congress for statutory authority to more quickly deport the children. That decision has alarmed human rights advocates who say they are at risk of being returned to dangerous communities. During a conference call earlier Monday, some advocates said they would not accept a policy in which the White House toughens its stance on the children at the border while providing enforcement relief for adults who have lived in the country for a long time." David Nakamura and Zachary A. Goldfarb in The Washington Post.

News analysis: Obama's no-win immigration predicament. Frank James in NPR.

Memo to GOP: Block reform at your peril. "The collapse of Mr. Obama's top legislative priority is a win for conservatives....It also is a victory for Republicans who wanted to avoid a divisive immigration debate in an election year. But it leaves Republicans with the same problem they faced in the presidential election two years ago — a disadvantage with the growing bloc of Hispanic voters. Many in the GOP have cautioned that the party won't win another national election unless it finds a way to improve the party's standing with Latinos. That isn't possible, many caution, without passing an immigration bill." Laura Meckler and Janet Hook in The Wall Street Journal.