Immigration Group Urges Congress to Join States in Fight Against Immigration Executive Action
Kenric Ward /
As 25 states sue the Obama administration over the president’s controversial executive amnesty order, an immigration group is urging Congress to join the fight on behalf of taxpayers and the Constitution.
“For six years, the Obama administration has been obsessed with centralizing power but refused to use it to enforce immigration laws. Instead, they’ve focused their efforts on dismantling enforcement and shutting down states that have tried to enact bills reacting to the inaction in Washington,” said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Dane added: “Congress must also act to restore its power to ‘establish a uniform rule of naturalization’ under Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the Constitution, meaning Congress makes the laws; the president must carry them out.”
Outgoing Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., issued a scathing report over the weekend, declaring that less than 3 percent of illegal immigrants will ever be deported. Last week, the Congressional Research Service announced that illegal immigration began to rise in 2012 after a five-year lull.
Though House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has soft-pedaled the immigration issue, some newly elected House Republicans are spoiling for a fight — with or without their party’s current leadership.
Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., who defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a stunning primary victory last year, said Sunday:
When the new Republican-led Congress takes office this week, one of our first priorities must be to have a clean bill to reverse the amnesty spending by immediately restricting any federal funds from being used to carry out Mr. Obama’s illegal decree.
There is speculation that there may only be a show vote on rescinding that money, and instead a ‘border security’ bill would be offered as a substitute for stopping amnesty. A border spending bill that doesn’t really strengthen the border and allows illegal immigrants to continue living and working in the United States would only make things worse.
“That is unacceptable,” Brat said.