also keep in mind...

Quote Originally Posted by Some Random Reddit User
Obama doesn't have the constitutional authority to tell the law enforcement agencies not to enforce the law.

The legislative branch passes laws, and the executive branch enforces them. So it was written, so it shall be. If a president actually ORDERED his empowered enforcement officers to not enforce a law - no matter how unfair he might personally think that law is - he would be in breach of his oath of office. He vowed to uphold the Constitution, and the Constitution says he doesn't get to second-guess Congress once a law is passed....

Yes, it sucks, but the alternative is granting the President virtually unlimited fiat power.

But, the thing is: he's also these people's boss. And even if he can't -order- them to not enforce the law, he can -fire them- for failing to properly allocate limited resources in such a way as to prioritize those issues most pressing to the Oval Office.

It's a very fine line he has to tread here, by necessity. The sort of sweeping executive action you want to see simply isn't going to happen... nor would we, as a democratic republic, WANT to see it.

It's just easy to lose track of that when it's an issue that so many of us care about.