Some supporters of illegal immigrants say they aren't going to be satisfied if President Barack Obama's executive order offers a path to citizenship for an expected 5 million aliens living inside the U.S.,
the Washington Examiner reports.
They argue that in spite of Obama's planned executive order, set to be announced Thursday, a figure that excludes more than half of those immigrants now in the U.S. isn't nearly enough as they seek a more expansive and comprehensive plan after the president's "previous betrayals," the Examiner noted.
"Rumors of presidential executive action helping only 5 million would not even deal with half of the problem we currently face," said Arturo Carmona, who serves as the executive director of Presente.org, in a statement issued Wednesday, according to the Examiner.
"This week, the president has a historic opportunity to right his previous betrayals of the Latino community and lead the Democratic Party and Latinos back together," Carmona added. "We need a broad and inclusive executive order that begins to protect all 11 million undocumented immigrants."
Even as specifics of Obama's plan have not yet been revealed, many immigrants are "flooding attorney's offices with calls,"
according to The Associated Press, in an attempt to ensure that they may be protected under the new executive order.
"It's like the golden ticket," immigration lawyer Annaluisa Padilla told the AP, noting the increase in calls she's received amid news of Obama's announcement. "Everybody who is calling my office is asking how can I get a work permit under Obama's program? I am like, there is no Obama program yet."
As many immigrants anticipate a new way to stay in the nation legally, activists say that specifics of how the president's program will shake out are crucial,
CNN reported. The details also will matter long into the 2016 presidential election, some warned, as Hispanic voters' support for Obama has diminished in recent polls.
"The president's legacy is at stake," Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, told CNN of Obama's decisions.
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