Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 5759, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act, which prohibits the executive branch from exempting categories of illegal immigrants from removal:
“On November 20, 2014, the President announced that he would issue executive orders to effectively grant legal status to nearly five million illegal immigrants. The failure of this administration to secure our border and fully enforce immigration law undermines our sovereignty, public safety, and the economic security of American citizens. The President’s decision to issue these orders will only compound these serious immigration problems our nation already faces by inviting more illegal border crossings.
“Furthermore, these executive orders defy the Constitution and American law. The President has acknowledged over twenty times that the Constitution limits the authority of the executive branch to act unilaterally to change the law, yet he has decided to act contrary to his constitutional powers and without the consent of Congress. Unfortunately, the President is more concerned with manufacturing a constitutional crisis than engaging with the new Congress to achieve results that the American people are demanding.
“The Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act makes clear that the President’s actions contravene American law and reaffirms the constitutional principles that Congress writes our immigration laws that the President is bound to enforce. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to stop this affront to our Constitution, to strengthen the security at our border, and to implement an immigration policy that is rooted in the rule of law.”
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Chris Graham
