We Need To Work Together To Fix Our Broken Immigration System
Following Election Day, President Obama said that he “is eager to work with the new Congress.” However, this past week President Obama announced that he will once again circumvent Congress by acting unilaterally on immigration. Though President Obama has stated more than 20 times that he lacks the constitutional authority to change our immigration laws, he is doing just that.
In an address to the American people last Thursday, President Obama outlined his sweeping executive action. Under his plan, five million unauthorized immigrants would be granted work permits and temporary reprieve from deportation. Additionally, he intends to strengthen the visa programs aimed at highly skilled immigrant workers and entrepreneurs.
While there are portions of the President’s plan that I could support, such as reforming current visa programs for STEM graduates and highly skilled workers, any unilateral action on immigration is a nonstarter for real reform. If we want to fix our broken immigration system, we need to work together.
In August, the House of Representatives acted to address the crisis at our southern border by providing President Obama with the necessary resources to enforce our current laws and strengthen border security. Over the past few years, the House Judiciary Committee has held several hearings on immigration and has already passed several bills that are key to reforming immigration policy. This includes legislation that reinforces our current immigration laws, expands E-Verify nation-wide, improves high-skilled immigration programs, and creates a new, reliable temporary agricultural guest-worker program. The House will continue to work through the traditional legislative process. Immigration reform will have a significant impact on our economy and our workforce; we need to get it right.
I firmly believe substantial policy decisions deserve the accountability, transparency, and scrutiny that open debate and the legislative process provide. Rather than work with Congress to reform current immigration policy, President Obama has chosen to play party politics and bypass the legislative branch. While the House of Representatives examines all options to challenge President Obama’s executive overreach, I strongly urge him to work with Congress - not against us - to reform our immigration policy.
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