Speech #1140002749

Chair. I rise in opposition to the AderholtMulvaneyBarletta Amendment to H.R. 240. the Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security Appropriations Act. I oppose the amendment because it is nothing more than the Republican majoritys latest partisan attack on the President and another diversionary tactic to avoid addressing the challenge posed by the nations broken immigration system. The President will veto the underlying bill if the Aderholt Amendment is adopted so I urge my colleagues to defeat this irresponsible amendment which has the potential to put the security of our homeland at risk. House Republicans are playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with the security of Americas homeland by recklessly adding this "poison pill" to legislation needed to fund the agencies and programs charged with securing the border and protecting the homeland. Mr. Chair. the Aderholt Amendment seeks to prohibit the executive branch from exempting or deferring from deportation any immigrants considered to be unlawfully present in the United States under U.S. immigration law. and to prohibit the administration from treating those immigrants as if they were lawfully present or had lawful immigration status. The amendment bill seeks to make January 9. 2015 the effective date of these prohibitionsthereby retroactively blocking the executive actions taken President Obama to address our broken immigration system by providing smarter enforcement at the border. prioritize deporting felonsnot familiesand allowing certain undocumented immigrants. including the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful residents. who pass a criminal background check and pay taxes to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Mr. Chair. let me briefly discuss why the executive actions taken by President Obama are reasonable. responsible. and within his constitutional authority.