House Speaker John Boehner today warned President Obama in stark terms to think twice before “burning himself” with executive action to allow millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the country.
“When you play with matches, you take the risk of burning yourself and [Obama] is going to burn himself if he continues down this path,” Boehner said during a press conference laying out an agenda for the new Republican-controlled Congress.
Besides regaining control of the Senate — which passed an immigration reform bill last year that many conservatives consider amnesty for illegal immigrants –Republicans in Tuesday’s midterm elections boosted their majority in the House by at least 12 seats.
Obama reaffirmed yesterday that he will act alone to make changes to the immigration system before the end of the year, likely deferring deportation for millions of illegal immigrants.
But the president also said he still wants Congress to pass legislation on immigration reform and promised that if Congress does so it would make any executive actions “go away.”
Today, Boehner sounded reluctant to do so before the new GOP-fortified House and Senate convene in January.
“If he acts unilaterally on his own, outside of his authority, he will poison the well and there will be no chance of immigration reform moving in this Congress,” the Ohio Republican said of the president.
