Immigration Executive Order Without Precedent

Mr. Speaker,

I rise in support of this very reasonable legislation, which really simply requires that our present immigration laws be fully enforced or at least not be violated.

I commend the Gentleman from Florida, Mr. Yoho, for bringing this legislation to the floor.

The President has said he has been forced to act because the Congress has not done so.

That is not correct, as Chairman Goodlatte pointed out a few minutes ago.

Congress can act in any one of three ways: writing a new law, changing an old law, or leaving present law in effect.

The Administration is glossing over or is ignoring the fact that we have very detailed immigration laws on the books now.

They may not like present law, but no one has the right, or the power, or the authority to pick and choose and enforce some laws but not others.

Presidential executive orders have traditionally been used almost entirely for non-controversial, administrative-type actions. They were not meant to be a way for a President to bypass the Congress.

We do not live, or are not supposed to live, under a system where all the power is vested in the Executive.

We have a Constitution, and it should be followed.

Mister Speaker, all of us admire those who have immigrated here legally and have contributed so much to this Nation.

We have allowed many millions here legally since the Simpson-Mazzoli law of 1986, far more than any other country.

But with 58-percent of the people in the world having to get by on $4 or less a day, that means that almost four billion people are hoping to get one good meal today and probably aren't.

We are blessed beyond belief to live in this Nation.

But our entire infrastructure, our schools, our hospitals, our jails, our roads, our sewers simply could not handle the influx of mega millions who would come here in a relatively short time if we simply opened our borders.

We have to have a legal, orderly system of immigration, and it must be enforced.