Rep. Gosar Responds to President Obama’s Unlawful Executive Amnesty Order

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after President Obama announced late on Thursday night his plans to take executive action and grant amnesty to over five million illegal immigrants:

“Tonight’s announcement by President Obama to unlawfully grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants solidifies his reputation as ‘Commander-in-Deceit.’ The president had two years of a filibuster-proof majority in both the House and Senate giving him the ability to legally pass immigration reform with little resistance. Much like most of the decisions he has taken, this insincere executive order is a political stunt of the highest degree.

“This lawless action violates Article II, Section 3 of our Constitution, a provision that demands that the president ‘…take care that the laws be faithfully executed...’ This clearly states that Congress makes our laws, not President Obama.

“This blatant abuse of executive power will ripple throughout the course of American history, threatening our sacred system of checks and balances. By choosing not to fully enforce our current immigration laws, the president has effectively invited a mass migration of illegal immigrants across our border states including my home of Arizona. President Obama’s statement that we currently have the smallest number of illegals trying to cross our border since the 1970’s is a barefaced lie and my constituents, living on the front lines of unsecured borders, can verify that falsehood. Additionally, for the president of the United States to say that his actions are necessary because we owe it to ‘the people who pick our fruit and make our beds’ is both demeaning and racist.

“Now is the time for the House to do the will of the people that elected us and fight back against this lawlessness. Specifically, I call on House leadership to act on three measures. First, the House must immediately pass a short-term spending bill that defunds the entirety of President Obama’s executive order. Second, the House must pass H.Res.757 which would authorize the House to sue the president for any actions in violation of the Constitution in regards to immigration enforcement. Finally, the House must prohibit any funds from being appropriated to provide work permits or green cards to illegal immigrants who are unlawfully living in the U.S.

“The House has the responsibility to act quickly and decisively to stop an out-of-control president and administration from deliberately violating the Constitution any further. There is too much at risk for this lawlessness to go unchallenged.”

 ###