Speech #1140103542

I cannot remember a time in my lifetime where that has happened in that short period of time. The Supreme Courts inability to serve its highest function under the Constitution has left millions of families across the country waiting for justice. and they are uncertain of what the law is. This is the devastating reality for vulnerable immigrant families who are wondering whether they are going to be torn apart. whether the parents will be taken out and deported. sometimes leaving innocent children behindafter the Court deadlocked last week in a case concerning enforcement of the Presidents executive action on immigration. The immigration case demonstrates the real harm of this Republican obstruction. Three years ago today. after an extensive process in the Judiciary Committee where hundreds of amendments were debated. the Democraticled Senate. backed by a number of Republicans. passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill on a vote of 68 to 32. Even though a majority of the House of Representatives would have passed that bill into law. the Republican Speaker of the House blocked the bill from even receiving a vote. Apparently. it would violate what they considered the revered Dennis Hastert rule. There were some Republicans who opposed it. even though it passed overwhelmingly. They had to show their reverence to the Dennis Hastert rule. so we did not get an immigration bill. Because the Speaker refused to act and because they would not allow it to come to a vote. the Presidentwho would not have had an Executive action if it had been voted onwas forced to use Executive action. His Executive action deferred the deportation of parents and children to prioritize the deportation of dangerous criminals. Before that Executive action could be implemented. however. a Republicanappointed district court judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunctionnot just for Texas but for the whole Nationblocking the order. It was the inaction of Republicans in Congress that led the President to take sensible action to improve our broken immigration system. After blocking immigration reform. Republican obstruction continued in the Senate with the unprecedented refusal to consider the nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. This left a hobbled Court of eight to consider this crucial immigration case. So from legislation. to Executive action. to the hobbled Court. Republicans are responsible for creating these crises points.