Immigration Executive Action Update: GOP to 'Fight' Obama on Rumored 5 Million Undocumented Immigrants' Amnesty
President Obama's alleged plan to defer approximately five million undocumented immigrants from deportation has, as expected, infuriated the Republican Party.
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, has told GOP lawmakers of the House of Representatives that he offered a "stiff warning" to Obama last week if the president continues to act on an immigration reform executive action. According to Boehner, Obama's unilateral action on immigration would "jeopardize other issues as well" in addition to halting immigration reform talks in the House.
"I told the president last week directly: 'If you proceed with executive amnesty, not only can you forget about getting immigration reform enacted during your presidency, you can also expect it to jeopardize other issues as well,'" Boehner reportedly said, according to a source in the room, via Politico. "We don't know when exactly he'll do it or how exactly he'll do it. But if he proceeds, we are going to fight it."
During a press conference on Thursday, Boehner publicly commented on Obama's imminent executive action. He told reporters, "We're going to fight the president tooth and nail if he continues down this path. This is the wrong way to govern."
Boehner later said, "All of the options are on the table. We're having discussions with our members, and no decisions have been made as to how we will fight this if he proceeds."
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said Obama's plan to deferment of undocumented immigrants would result in a "Constitutional crisis." King claimed Obama wants to rewrite the current immigration laws by giving millions "illegal amnesty."
"The audacity of this President to think he can completely destroy the Rule of Law with the stroke of a pen is unfathomable to me," King said. "It is unconstitutional, it is cynical, and it violates the will of the American people. Our Republic will not stand if we tolerate a President who is set upon the complete destruction of the Rule of Law."
Nearly 60 GOP lawmakers have signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee's Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Rep. Nita Lowery, D-N.Y., to add language to an upcoming 2015 fiscal year spending bill prohibiting funds toward work permits and green cards for undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
"We respectfully request that as you work to finalize the year-end funding legislation that language be included in all relevant appropriations legislation for FY (fiscal year) 2015 to prohibit the use of funds by the administration for the implementation of current or future executive actions that would create additional work permits and green cards outside of the scope prescribed by Congress," the letter noted, signed by Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.
Obama, however, said any executive action he implements could be withdrawn if Congress provides him legislation on the issue.
"I would advise that if in fact they want to take a different approach, rather than devote a lot of time trying to constrain my lawful actions as the chief executive of the U.S. government in charge of enforcing our immigrations laws, that they spend some time passing a bill," Obama said during a press conference in Myanmar.
As Latin Post reported, Obama's executive action could come as early as next week.
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
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