The Florida congressional delegation split on party lines after President Barack Obama announced plans to use executive power to enact immigration reform.
Obamas proposal offers a path to temporary residency if the illegals register and pass a criminal background check. Under his action, illegal immigrants with children who are citizens, will be able to live and work in the U.S. for three years. It also shifts border security efforts against terrorists and criminals instead of illegals in general.
Florida Democrats fell in line behind the president.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said on Thursday night that Republicans brought Obamas actions on themselves by not passing immigration reform in the GOP-controlled U.S. House, lashing out at them as reactionaries.
We passed a comprehensive and bipartisan immigration bill by an overwhelming margin last year in the Senate, Nelson said. But you just cant get some of the reactionaries in the House of Representatives to move. So I think the president should have done this. He certainly has the legal authority. The bottom line is this: we need to act fairly toward our people and also to help keep the economy moving.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., also backed Obama and hit Republicans for failing to pass immigration reform in the House.
I applaud the executive action taken today by President Obama on immigration, using his lawful authority to provide compassion and certainty to millions of our fellow neighbors, family, and friends, Wasserman Schultz said. For too long, our broken immigration system has pushed our fellow brothers and sisters into the shadows and outside of the system. Because of todays action, more Florida families will no longer have to live in fear of being separated, more parents will remain with their children, and more young Floridians -- many who have known no other country than ours -- will get to continue their pursuit of the American dream.
I remain firmly committed to common-sense immigration reform like todays measures because it is the right policy for the safety and prosperity of South Florida and America, Wasserman Schultz insisted. This course of action allows us to prioritize the removal of those who pose a risk to national security or public safety, strengthens our workforce, protects American workers, and reduces our nations deficit. I again urge Republican leaders in the House to take up and pass HR 15, the bipartisan immigration reform bill. This legislation remains the most comprehensive and enduring way to fix our immigration system. I know that President Obama took todays action only after House Republicans refused to deal with these vital issues at all during this Congress. Thank you to President Obama for taking action while House Republicans continue to block common-sense reforms. This bold approach is not only right for families but right for Americas economy and security.
Republicans in the Florida delegation stood against Obamas executive action, including champions of the Gang of Eights immigration reform bill which passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart have generally been supporters of immigration reform plans and backed the Gang of Eights bill. Diaz-Balart, in particular, has taken the lead in urging Republicans in the House to pass the Gang of Eights" bill. But the two Republicans teamed up on Thursday night to oppose Obamas executive action.
As President Obama has stated, I am president of the United States, not the emperor of the United States. He further stated that acting unilaterally is ignoring the law in a way that I believe would be very difficult to defend legally. Now, the president says he has the authority to stop deportations, the two South Florida Republicans said in a joint statement released on Thursday night. It begs the question why did President Obama deport more than 2 million people, dividing families, when according to him it could have been avoided?
While we agree on the merits of some of the announced measures, the presidents executive order makes it more difficult to pass a common-sense solution to our countrys broken immigration system, they continued. We continue to believe that we must find a bipartisan, legislative solution to strengthen our borders, offer a permanent and humane solution to those living in the shadows, adhere to the rule of law, modernize our antiquated visa system, and bolster the economy. None of this is accomplished by the presidents executive order.
Shortly after this years election, President Obama said he was willing to work together with the new Congress, they concluded. He has now clearly demonstrated that he has no intention of doing so. His actions will unfortunately further divide our country. We are committed to finding a bipartisan, legislative solution that will unite a majority of Congress and the American people on this critical issue.
Insisting Obama violated the Constitution, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., offered a bill on Thursday to prevent the president from using an executive order to allow illegals a path to stay in the nation. Yoho insisted Obama was overstepping what the executive branch can do and hopes his Executive Amnesty Prevention Act" will cut him off at the pass.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 gives Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization, while Article II, Section 3 lays out clearly that the president shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, Yoho noted about the Constitution. With the go-it-alone approach of the president on immigration, I felt it necessary to introduce this bill and stop the president from going around Congress and the American people. An executive fix of the law is unconstitutional, temporary, and will establish a very dangerous precedent.
Lets be clear: Our immigration policy in America is broken and has been broken for a long time, Yoho added. Both Republicans and Democrats share responsibility for the current state of immigration in this country. That being said, now is not the time for the president to rule by fiat and go against the Constitution. Even the Washington Post, never a bastion of conservative reporting, has recommended the president not take this course of action.
Yes, the president has prosecutorial discretion in certain cases but that does not mean he has the authority to provide blanket amnesty or pardons to 5 million illegal aliens, Yoho said in conclusion. I, along with the American people, want to fix our broken immigration system. But this fix must come from well-thought-out legislation that puts the needs of the country first. Once that is done, we can have open and honest debate in Congress to hammer out our differences. This is the way the framers of our Constitution intended our laws to be made. It is time to stop kicking the immigration can down the road. Let us come together, put the country first, and fix the issue of illegal immigration once and for all.
Other conservatives from Florida agreed with Yoho that Obama had gone too far with executive power.
As a second-generation Greek-American, I have a firsthand understanding of the importance and power of the American dream, as well as the sensitivity and passion surrounding immigration reform, said U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., on Thursday night. There is no doubt our immigration system is broken, but President Obama cannot act unilaterally and refuse to work with Congress. In the presidents own words: Thats not how our democracy functions.
We must not forget that we have an obligation to preserve the promise of the American dream for future generations, Bilirakis added. To do so, we must uphold the rule of law and ensure its equal application. This means that we must enforce current immigration laws, strengthen the borders, and ensure all visas are enforced properly. This is an issue that impacts all Americans, and we must unite to solve this problem. In doing so, we can ensure the American dream remains alive and well for future generations.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
