Washington, D.C. – Following President Obama’s declaration to grant executive amnesty to more than 5 million undocumented immigrants, Alaskan Congressman Don Young shared his deep concerns for the size and scope of his actions.
“Through Executive Order, President Obama has moved forward on actions he previously said were not within his Constitutional authority – a unilateral declaration to ignore U.S. law and stop the deportation of more than 5 million unlawful immigrants. Bypassing Congress and changing the law himself, simply because the Legislative Branch has not given the answers he’s looking for, is plain wrong. Ignoring the clear majority of Americans who oppose amnesty will only hurt this nation and the principles it was founded upon.
“Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power over naturalization of immigrants, not the President. While past Presidents have used Executive Action or ‘prosecutorial discretion’ to address immigration, it has only been to enforce or clarify laws already passed by Congress. In stark contrast, President Obama’s lawless executive decree significantly undermines the American people’s trust in the branch of government responsible for enforcing our laws and puts our constitution in great jeopardy.”
