Speech #1130124481

Instead of requiring individualized determinations in specific cases. the Presidents latest Executive order claims the power to sweep up millions of people based on only a few broad. widely shared criteria. The President is also within his rights not to prosecute when there are not sufficient resources to do so. but the Obama administration has never explained how the Executive order would save money. In fact. the administrations own policy advisers have acknowledged that a work permitting program will be expensive and will take away resources from law enforcement. While no one disagrees that capturing and removing violent criminals should be our highest immigration priority. President Obama has gone much further and made current immigration law essentially a dead letter for millions of illegal immigrants. President Obama cannot credibly claim that he is attempting to execute immigration law faithfully when ICE agents were forced to release 68.000 potentially deportable aliens last year alone. when the administration took disciplinary action against ICE officers for making lawful arrests. and when the President of the National ICE Council felt compelled to testify before Congress that although "most Americans assume that ICE agents and officers are empowered by the government to enforce the law . . . nothing could be further from the truth." Moreover. despite the administrations claim to the contrary. President Obamas action is not comparable to the Executive actions taken by President Reagan or even President George H.W. Bush.