ALIPAC in WSJ: Reactions: ‘Historic Moment’ or ‘Obvious Political Move’
Reactions: ‘Historic Moment’ or ‘Obvious Political Move’
Wall St. Journal Poll: Do you agree with Obama administration executive decree for amnesty for illegal aliens?
http://on.wsj.com/KzyYLA
- June 15, 2012, 1:00 PM
- by Wall St. Journal Staff
Latin American demonstrators hold up a banner against U.S. immigration raids and deportations during an immigration reform rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in this file photo taken October 13, 2009.
The Obama administration said Friday it would let many younger illegal immigrants stay in the U.S., an announcement in the middle of an election season where the Hispanic vote could be pivotal. The move came two years after Mr. Obama’s push in Congress for the Dream Act, which failed, owing mainly to Republican opposition.
Below, reactions to the move, from supporters and opponents.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), who has pushed an alternative to the DREAM Act that would grant legal status to undocumented immigrants but not citizenship:
Contact Rubio---DC Office Phone 202-224-3041 Email: http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/i...ton-d-c-office
“There is broad support for the idea that we should figure out a way to help kids who are undocumented through no fault of their own, but there is also broad consensus that it should be done in a way that does not encourage illegal immigration in the future. This is a difficult balance to strike, one that this new policy, imposed by executive order, will make harder to achieve in the long run.
“Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer, but it is a short term answer to a long term problem. And by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one.”
Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Contact Coats DC Office P: (202) 224-5623 Email : http://www.coats.senate.gov/contact/
The announcement is “an obvious political move five months before Americans decide if the president deserves a second term.” He added: “As the son of a legal immigrant, I know that America is a land of opportunity that many people around the world want to experience so they can provide a better life for their families. “The administration’s unilateral decision today to give amnesty to certain illegal immigrants is not the answer.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), who has pushed for suspension of some deportations
Contact Durbin's DC Office Phone (202) 224-2152 Email :http://durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
“The Obama Administration’s decision to extend temporary legal status to DREAM Act students is an historic humanitarian moment. This action will give these young immigrants their chance to come out of the shadows and be part of the only country they’ve ever called home. These young people did not make the decision to come to this country, and it is not the American way to punish children for their parents’ actions. I commend President Obama and Secretary Janet Napolitano for their courage and leadership. I also want to thank Senator Dick Lugar for having the courage to confront Tea Party orthodoxy and join me on a bipartisan basis to request this change in policy.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa)
Contact Grassley's Wash DC Office Phone (202) 224 - 3744 Email : http://www.grassley.senate.gov/const...of-contact.cfm
“The President’s action is an affront to the process of representative government by circumventing Congress and with a directive he may not have the authority to execute. The President once denied that he had the legal authority to do this, and Congress was assured more than once that the administration would consider individuals for this sort of deferred status on a case-by-case basis only, and that there was no plan to implement a broad-based program. It seems the President has put election-year politics above responsible policies. ”
Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa)
Contact King's Wash DC Office Phone 202.225.4426 Email https://forms.house.gov/king/webform...subscribe.html
“Americans should be outraged that President Obama is planning to usurp the Constitutional authority of the United States Congress and grant amnesty by edict to 1 million illegal aliens.” The DREAM Act’s amnesty program “has been rejected by Congress, and yet President Obama has decided that he will move forward with it anyway. President Obama, an ex constitutional law professor, whose favorite word is audacity, is prepared to violate the principles of Constitutional Law that he taught.”
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.)
Conact Gutierrez's Wash DC Office Phone (202) 225-8203 Email https://forms.house.gov/gutierrez/we.../zip_auth.shtm
Rep. Gutierrez called the announcement a “time for celebration.” But he cautioned that “the details of this program are still being finalized, so immigrants across the country should be patient and very skeptical of anyone who claims to have all the answers immediately. … This will be a process to evaluate each individual case to see if they qualify for the two-year relief, but it is a tremendous first step towards addressing the problems caused by our outdated and inflexible immigration system.”
Rep. Allen West (R., Fla)
Contact West's Wash DC Office Phone 202-225-3026 Email https://forms.house.gov/west/webform...act-form.shtml
Rep. West blasted the administration’s decision, calling it “yet another example of executive branch overreach” and questioned “ how the American economy is going to handle this influx of people, who will without a doubt now be guaranteed services and be competing with Americans for jobs? These are the kind of details that are to be hammered out during the legislative process, and appear to be completely overlooked by this Administration as usual.”
In an interview on Fox News, he took it a step further, asking if President Obama and Secretary Napolitano might issue another executive order to grant voting rights. “Is this one of those backdoor opportunities to allow people in the next five months to get the opportunity to vote? … How far down the rabbit hole does this go?”
Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.)
Contact Schumer's Wash DC Office Phone 202-224-6542 Email https://www.schumer.senate.gov/Conta...tact_chuck.cfm
“In one fell swoop the President has accomplished what far too few Republicans were brave enough to even discuss. The President has done all he can and it is now up to our colleagues across the aisle to join us in finishing the job and passing the full and undiluted DREAM Act.”
Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals
NAE Contact Phone 202-789-1011 Email http://www.nae.net/contact-us
“This new policy is good news for America and is good news for undocumented young adults who came to America through the choice of others. It is the right thing to do. I hope that the Congress will quickly follow with a just and compassionate reform of our entire system of immigration. Our country has already waited a long time to get our immigration laws fixed. This is an encouraging first step.”
Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center
Los Angeles National Office (213) 639-3900 | (213) 639-3911 fax Email https://nilc.org/contact2.html
“This is an important step toward achieving a society in which those who want to contribute to our country have all the legal tools and societal support to reach their full potential. We look forward to working with you to create a more just and equal society. ˇHasta la victoria!”
Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office
Contact Wash DC Office (202) 675-2312 Email http://www.aclu.org/general-feedback
“For years, DREAMers have lived with the constant nightmare that they will be deported from the only home they’ve ever known. Today, that nightmare has come to an end, at least temporarily.”
William Gheen, president, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC
Contact Alipac Phone ALIPAC (866) 703-0864 Email WilliamG@alipac.us
“Obama ordering Dream Act Amnesty for illegal immigrants by executive decree would bypass the Congress, existing federal laws, the outcome of the elections, the opposition of most American citizens, and the US Constitution, and place almost 1 million illegal aliens outside the law and in direct competition with an historic number of unemployed American citizens.”
Reactions: ‘Historic Moment’ or ‘Obvious Political Move’ - Washington Wire - WSJ
