By Steven Dennis | Roll Call
President Barack Obama will not wait any longer for House Republicans to pass an immigration bill, after Speaker John A. Boehner told him he will not allow a vote this year, the president said Monday.
“Last week he informed me that Republicans will continue to block immigration reform at least for the remainder of this year,” Obama said Monday in a Rose Garden statement where he announced he would go it alone on immigration, “without Congress,” as far as he can.
Obama said he believes Boehner when he says he wants to pass an immigration bill, but he hasn’t been able to pass anything despite a year and a half of trying.
Related:
Obama: I’ll act on my own to fix immigration
NEWS RELEASE
Statement from Governor Jan Brewer
President Obama’s Vow to Unilaterally Implement Immigration Agenda
“Today, President Obama once again played politics and lectured Congress and the American people. Instead of discussing what he is going to do immediately to address the illegal immigration crisis he manufactured, the President offered little more than the predictable rhetoric and blame shifting we have come to expect from this administration. Disturbingly, even though his role is to enforce laws passed by Congress, he once again threatens more executive actions to further thwart the will of Congress.
“Rather than take action to secure our border, President Obama makes a hyper-partisan speech to complain that his liberal immigration bill, which would reward illegal aliens with a path to citizenship, has not passed the United States House of Representatives. The illegal immigration crisis plaguing this country currently should be a wake-up call to all: elections have consequences! We are witnessing the terrible results of electing leaders who do not respect or follow the rule of law.
“The lack of support for this bill should not be surprising. The fact remains that Americans demand a secure border. However, rather than heeding this message, the President has spent the past six years steadfastly and deliberately refusing to take any serious steps to truly secure the border. The President acknowledged today that the border is not secure which, not surprisingly, contradicts his previous statements. Consequently, the country is faced with an unprecedented crisis: massive, unending waves of illegal aliens crossing our southern border, overwhelming federal authorities and their ability to enforce the law — all while costing taxpayers billions in the process.
“Failing to acknowledge his own role in causing this border surge, the President is now threatening to look for ways to act unilaterally to implement his immigration agenda using executive fiat. Until the President and his fellow congressional Democrats take concrete steps to secure the border and not reward illegal activity, they will continue to fail to earn the trust of the American people, and they will not gain broad support for comprehensive immigration reform.
“In the meantime, the American people must demand that immediate action be taken to (i) secure the border by providing the necessary personnel and resources, not bureaucrats, to stop the surge of illegal immigrants into South Texas, (ii) to amend federal law so that illegal aliens obtain expedited deportation hearings, and (iii) stop the flow from the countries of origin by holding these countries accountable, including reexamining federal aid, until they act to stop the flow of illegal immigrants out of or through their countries.”
