[O'brien:] Welcome back, everybody. We are following developing news as Ecuador officials are right now going over their decision in the Julian Assange case. You're watching Ecuadorian TV. Those are the pictures that we're showing you on the left side of your screen. And they're reviewing just exactly how the case developed. A little bit about the history of the case. So they haven't gotten to the point yet where they're announcing whether they are going to allow, in fact, Julian Assange to have to come to their country. CNN's Atika Shubert is live outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. That's where the WikiLeaks founder has been hold up now for two months. He's been really hiding from British authorities. They're hoping to deport him to Sweden where he faces allegations of sexual abuse. She's going to come join us live as soon as a decision is made. She's obviously monitoring Ecuadorian TV and those official remarks. Right now in Arizona, the governor there, Jan Brewer, a few hours ago signed an executive order, and that order directs state agencies to deny benefits, including driver's licenses, to Deferred Action recipients in that state. The Deferred Deportation Program was created back in June by the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Napolitano. Went into effect this week. We were talking about it yesterday. Senior Latin American affairs editor Rafael Romo joins us. He's in Atlanta this morning. The governor says the Deferred Action Program doesn't give any legal status, so she thinks not giving out Arizona licenses is a perfectly fine thing to do. Legally, is she on steady ground or on weak ground there?
[Rafael Romo, Cnn Sr. Latin American Affairs Editor:] Well, Soledad, when you talk about the Deferred Action Program by the Obama administration, it essentially gives not only the opportunity to stay in the country to these young immigrants for a period of two years but also very important, it gives them a Social Security number and also a work permit. That means that in any state they have the ability to get a driver's license. What the what the governor in Arizona is arguing, Jan Brewer, is saying that that's not the case because they are only temporarily here in the United States. They don't actually have legal status. And so therefore, they are not entitled to any local or state benefits. In essence, this means a driver's license. So what she's doing is issuing her own executive order to counter President Obama's executive order, although the administration doesn't like to call it that. They call it a policy policy memo from the Department of Homeland Security. And as you can imagine, Soledad, already protests in Arizona. The Dream Act Coalition protest at the moment. This was announced with a march to the capital there in Arizona. The ACLU already criticizing Arizona for alleged slating at the local level what should be a federal law. And many many, many people saying the same thing, that the governor just went ahead and is doing her own legislation in a manner that should be federal.
[O'brien:] So, then, Rafael, do you think that there's an expectation that the Justice Department steps in and get involved gets involved in some way?
[Romo:] Well, if history is any indication, if you think about what happened in Arizona in 2010, right after Governor Brewer signed SB 1070, the law cracking down on illegal immigration in Arizona, the Justice Department stepped suing Arizona, and the decision didn't come up until a couple of months ago in June when the Supreme Court overruled three out of four provisions in Arizona. But one of the most important ones, the one that allows police to ask for legal status to anybody they stop suspected of being in the country illegally stands. So you can imagine that the Justice Department right now is taking a close look at this, and deciding what they're going to do. And just let me show you some of the reaction that has been in Arizona. Influential columnist EJ Montini from the "Arizona Republic," talking about this, says, "It's cutting off your nose to spite your face," Soledad.
[O'brien:] Rafael Romo for us this morning in Atlanta. Thank you, Rafael, appreciate the update. Much more ahead this morning on STARTING POINT. We continue to follow the asylum request of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Ecuadorian officials are making that decision, reviewing the history of the case right now as we speak. Plus, we'll tell you why investors could start dumping their Facebook stock today. Maybe that's an opportunity for the rest of us. We'll tell you that straight ahead. Stay with us.