Obama is ‘nearing a final decision’ on executive action

The White House dismisses reports that Obama could take executive action on immigration as early as next week and instead says the president is “nearing a final decision.”

During a press briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama met last week with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who is in charge of recommending executive actions that Obama can take on immigration.

SEE ALSO: Obama on immigration: ‘What I’m not going to do is just wait’

However, Earnest said the president still hasn’t received final recommendations. He said he anticipates Obama will receive the final recommendations “relatively soon, but certainly not before the conclusion of his trip to Asia.”

“The president has not made a final decision at this point about exactly what will be included in the administrative steps that he will take to try to address some of the problems associated with our broken immigration system,” Earnest said.

He also made it clear that Obama still plans to act on immigration prior to the end of the year, despite opposition from Republicans. Furthermore, he said that if the House were to pass the Senate-approved immigration reform bill, Obama would sign it into law in a way that would supersede any executive action he took.

News reports say Obama could act next week

Earnest’s comments came a day after Fox News reported that Obama could issue executive actions on immigration as soon as next week. A source close to the White House told Fox News that a 10-part plan could be announced as early as Nov. 21.

Citing the source, the network said the plan would include expanding deferred action to benefit up to 4.5 million parents of U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents. That means that under deferred action, they would be protected from deportation and would likely receive work authorization.

SEE ALSO: Archbishop of Miami joins in demanding executive action on immigration reform

Some immigration advocates question whether the information reported by Fox News is true. Erika Andiola, a Dreamer and co-director of the Dream Action Coalition, is one of them. She said through a Facebook post: “Is this true or not. We really don’t know. WH sources say is not. Real question is, who would ‘leak’ something like this to Fox News out of all the media.”

But Fox News isn’t the only one reporting that Obama plans to act as early as next week. The New York Times reported Thursday that Obama intends to use his executive powers to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and provide them with work permits. This would include parents of U.S. citizen children and legal residents, as well as more undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Administration officials who have direct knowledge of the plan told The New York Times that Obama’s actions would also expand opportunities for immigrants with high-tech skills, shift additional security resources to the southern border and revamp the controversial immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities.

Advocates continue pressing Obama to ‘go big’

Meanwhile, Obama immigration advocates continue pressing Obama to “go big” on immigration. On Wednesday, military veterans and their families joined Democrats at a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., to call on the president to fulfill his promise and take “bold” executive action on immigration.

“One of America’s bad secrets is that we are not protecting all of our veterans equally,” Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) said at the press conference. “Many serve in fear of their families being deported while they are serving. Mr. President, bold is the word.”

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) echoed that message while speaking on the House floor Thursday morning, calling on Obama to act “boldly, broadly and soon.” Gutierrez also said he is “ tired of the manufactured excuses for inaction” and pressed members of Congress to pass an immigration reform bill.

“The U.S. Congress can still debate, vote and pass any immigration law it wants to, and the best way to get something done will be if leaders on both sides work together,” he said. “If you don’t like it, do something. There is nothing in your way but yourselves.”

SEE ALSO: What’s next for immigration now that Republicans control the Senate