Back in 2012 when President Obama waved his magic scepter and made legal some who were previously illegal, Republicans complained that it was just another effort to circumvent Congress and pass the DREAM Act.

They were right. And now, the president will honor 10 young adults who have done very well in his "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program, as "Champions of Change."

The Hill:

They will be honored as “Champions of Change,” the White House said in a statement Monday because they “serve as success stories and role models in their academic and professional spheres.”

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They emigrated from Mexico, Colombia, Morocco, India, Taiwan and the Philippines and many of them work in professions related to immigration policy or have helped launch initiatives that promote reform. 

In 2012, President Obama created DACA through an executive order, which defers any action on the status of people who came to the U.S. illegally as children for two years and can be renewed. DACA doesn’t provide any legal status. 

People who qualify include those who came to the U.S. before turning 16, resided in the U.S. continuously since 2007 and people who are either currently in school, have graduated or received a certificate of completion for high school or were honorably discharged from the military. 

DACA recipients also cannot have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor or three or more misdemeanors.

The event comes with the prospects for immigration reform dim following the defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) in his GOP primary last week.

Obama had recently directed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to delay his review of the government’s deportation policy in hopes that Congress could pass a reform bill by the August recess.

After Cantor’s downfall, however, many believe it is unlikely the GOP-controlled House will move on immigration ahead of November’s midterms.

I'm very happy these illegal aliens are doing so well. But what does the president's circumvention of Congress teach these kids?

1. It's better to do what is expedient rather than what is right.

2. The law means nothing if you disagree with it.

3. Presidents are kind of like kings, except they usually don't wear fancy robes or a crown - although you wonder if Obama dresses up like that in private.

Flouting our immigration laws by unilaterally declaring them null and void is not a good lesson to be teaching young people. If Congress had wanted to carve out exemptions for some of these young people, they could have done that. They chose not to and the reason the president took executive action was not because there was a crisis, or that these kids had to be helped now - he did what he did to get re-elected.

Democracy is hard work and the president and the Democrats are  too lazy to get things done in the traditional, legal way. They are corroding the foundations of law that have served this country from the beginning. And we're already regretting it.