‘Surrender not an option’ Guest opinion: If Senate Republicans stand firm, Obama’s amnesty can be stopped
On Nov. 4, the American people spoke loudly and clearly on illegal immigration and President Obama’s repeated overreaches of his authority. Within weeks of the election, the president tried to single-handedly rewrite America’s immigration laws by granting amnesty by “executive decree” to five million illegal aliens already in this country. It was a move that he previously said he had no constitutional authority to execute. He also acknowledged that only Congress could rewrite the laws. Yet he did it anyway.
This week, I was pleased to see the House Republican leadership take a firm stand in the new Congress by introducing legislation to defund the president’s illegal and unconstitutional amnesty proposal.
Defunding Mr. Obama’s illegal act is a stand on principle and an even greater stand on adhering to the Constitution. It tells the American people that Congress respects the wishes they expressed Nov. 4 and that Congress will fight to preserve the rule of law. It also shows that Congress respects their wallets and will fight to preserve their jobs. Our constitutionally guaranteed liberties, our rule of law, and our economic opportunities are precisely the things that immigrants come to America to experience. And our Constitution, rule of law, and economic prosperity are precisely the things that we will be giving up if we allow the president to break our laws to give amnesty and work permits to those who are here illegally.
House Republicans are proposing five amendments to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, H.R. 240, to prohibit federal funds from being used for amnesty. DHS is the department that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where much of Obama’s decree will be carried out. The appropriations bill itself – which would fund DHS until Sept. 30 – did not include language to defund the president’s actions, so it’s vitally important that the bill includes these amendments.
The most critical amendment is the Aderholt amendment, which prevents the federal government from using any funds to grant amnesty and work permits to illegal aliens. It also states that no federal benefits may be given to any illegal alien. Once the Aderholt amendment is adopted, I will support the appropriations bill. Without the Aderholt amendment, the president will be able to continue with his illegal amnesty. ...
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