Rigell Statement on President Obama's
Immigration Executive Order
Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-02) released the following statement about the President’s immigration executive order:
“Immigration policy has been debated since the founding of our country. Indeed, Hamilton and Jefferson sparred over this in the Federalist papers. Therefore it is not surprising that we are debating immigration today.
“However, the sweeping executive order announced by President Obama this evening broadens the topic to new and troubling ground. In direct contradiction to his own statements on the proper limitations of Presidential authority, he has granted what effectively amounts to executive amnesty to several million illegal immigrants.
“Securing our borders – north, south, east, and west – should be the next step in advancing sound immigration policy.
“Instead, the President’s actions fuel the widely held view, which I am convinced is causing much of the pressure at our nation’s borders, that ‘If you can get here, you can stay here.’
“America is a nation of laws, and the President's broad, unprecedented usurpation of authority from the legislative branch weakens the separation of powers, an essential element of our republic, and harms the foundational values that make our country so appealing to millions around the world.
“As I serve our district, I am ever mindful of the invaluable contributions that immigrants have made in shaping our country. As fellow Americans, the good fruits of America's immigration policies are reflected, quite literally, in our DNA. I am incredibly proud that our nation's story cannot be told without sharing the meaning and significance of the Statue of Liberty, whose plaque so eloquently states:
'Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore;
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'
“In my continued service to VA-02, I remain committed to advocating for policies that elevate our nation's values on immigration while ensuring that the values which make our homeland so special, including the rule of law, are not diminished.”