Friday, November 21, 2014YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio 3, says he’s “deeply disappointed in President Obama” for taking “arrogant and unconstitutional action” in using an executive order to achieve immigration reform.
Johnson, whose district includes portions of Mahoning County and all of Columbiana County, issued a statement Thursday night following Obama’s address to the nation.
The president’s speech (READ TEXT) set forth a path to legal status for some five million unauthorized immigrants who are parents of United States citizens. If eligible, they would have their deportations deferred and be permitted to work legally in the United States.
Obama began by pledging more resources to secure the country’s borders and to “make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business leaders have proposed.”
Then he explained who is eligible for his new program, which he said should not be described as amnesty.
“If you’ve been in America for more than five years; if you have children who are American citizens or legal residents; if you register, pass a criminal background check, and you’re willing to pay your fair share of taxes -- you’ll be able to apply to stay in this country temporarily, without fear of deportation. You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law,” Obama said.
The executive order set off a firestorm of criticism from Republicans, echoed by Johnson.
“With this action, President Obama seeks to place himself not just above those laws but above the Constitution itself,” Johnson said. “The people’s representatives in Congress passed laws making it illegal for people from other countries to cross our borders and live here without permission. The Constitution is clear: only Congress can make those laws, and only Congress can change them.”
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio 13, said he would “prefer to fix our immigration system through the legislative process … It’s unfortunate that House Republicans, by refusing to allow passage of any comprehensive immigration reform bills, made this executive action necessary. While Senate Republicans and Democrats passed an immigration bill over 500 days ago, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has refused to even have a conversation about this critical issue facing our nation.”
Ryan described Obama’s executive order as “measured and will help level the playing field for all American workers -- not just for those who are undocumented -- by putting an end to employers hiring undocumented workers in an effort to pay lower wages and avoid providing benefits. This move will create jobs, generate tax revenue and decrease our national deficit,” he said.
Here is the full text of Johnson’s statement:
“The people’s representatives in Congress passed laws making it illegal for people from other countries to cross our borders and live here without permission. The Constitution is clear: only Congress can make those laws, and only Congress can change them. With this action, President Obama seeks to place himself not just above those laws but above the Constitution itself.
“Americans elect a president to protect their rights, but this president is fighting to protect the rights of citizens of other countries whose first act in our country was to willfully break our laws. This arrogant and unconstitutional action threatens to poison good faith efforts to address the many serious challenges America faces. I’m deeply disappointed in President Obama.”
Here is the full text of Ryan’s statement:
"It’s unfortunate that House Republicans, by refusing to allow passage of any comprehensive immigration reform bills, made this executive action necessary. While Senate Republicans and Democrats passed an immigration bill over 500 days ago, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has refused to even have a conversation about this critical issue facing our nation. There is no doubt that our country’s immigration system is broken, and I believe the best way to deal with these problems is to pass bipartisan, comprehensive legislation. House Republicans have proven that they are not serious about immigration reform. The extreme right wing of their party will not even allow their leaders to come to the table to negotiate. Unfortunately, President Obama’s hand was forced by House Republicans’ inaction and I fully support his use of presidential powers to move forward unilaterally. While Congress still must pass legislation to fully confront the many immigration issues we face, this is a step in the right direction.
"Federal courts have ruled time and time again that U.S. presidents have the power to exercise executive authority. In fact, beginning in 1957 every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has used these powers on immigration. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan stopped the deportation of 20,000 Nicaraguans. President George H.W. Bush stopped the deportation of Chinese students and Kuwait citizens in the early 1990s. President George W. Bush stopped the deportation of Salvadorian citizens in 2001; he later called for prosecutorial discretion for undocumented immigrants who had served in the U.S. military. There is clear precedence for our nation’s chief executives, on both sides of the aisle, to use their powers to deal with immigration, which shows that Republicans’ crying foul is disingenuous and wholly political.
"There is no doubt that we would all prefer to fix our immigration system through the legislative process, and the time to act is now. President Obama’s executive action on immigration is measured and will help level the playing field for all American workers – not just for those who are undocumented - by putting an end to employers hiring undocumented workers in an effort to pay lower wages and avoid providing benefits. This move will create jobs, generate tax revenue and decrease our national deficit. I stand by President Obama’s decision to act and I call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation to more effectively solve our nation’s broken immigration system."
Pictured: President Obama addresses the nation Thursday night from the White House.
Copyright 2014 by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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