Speech #1130126071

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5759. the socalled "Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014." This bill is nothing more than a political stunt by my colleagues across the aisle. It seeks to restrict the President from using his executive authoritymuch in the same way that President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush have done before himto further secure the border and prioritize deporting felons over families. In fact. over the last 50 years. every President has used executive authority to take action on immigration. including six Republican Presidents. This bill would not only be limited to the Presidents most recent use of executive authority but would also prevent the Administration from granting deferred action to Dreamers who are currently eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but have not yet received it. This would effectively end the DACA programwhich has already provided temporary protection for 700.000 individuals who were brought to the United States as childrenand would subject hundreds of thousands Dreamers to deportation. This legislation is so broad that the Administration would not even be able to grant deferred action from deportation to family members of U.S. Military troops. Most importantly. this bill does nothing to address our broken immigration system. It has been more than 520 days since the Senate passed a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill yet Speaker BOEHNER has refused to let us vote on this legislation. Mr. Speaker. let the Peoples House vote on this important measure and let democracy work its will.