President Barack Obama on Thursday night addressed the nation to discuss an overhaul of the country’s immigration system.
The plan, which will be signed Friday using a presidential memorandum, is expected to provided “relief for an estimated 4.1 million undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and about 300,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children,” according to ABC News.
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Obama’s plan is controversial. One of the reason’s why: the sweeping changes are being put through without the consent of Congress.
The announcement prompted the following statement from local Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick:
I oppose across the board or blanket amnesty. Any immigration reform must begin with securing the border. To that end, I joined the House in August in passing legislation to do just that.
The President should not be going it alone – he should bring Americans together to solve this problem instead of dividing Americans even further. The president’s unilateral and unconstitutional immigration executive orders dissolve trust in our elected government, and hurt those playing by the rules and trying to earn their citizenship the right way.
Earlier this year, I visited the southern border and saw firsthand the legal and humanitarian crisis caused by an administration refusing to execute the laws of our immigration system. The president’s unlawful orders will drastically increase this problem.
As we learn the full scope of the president’s actions, I expect Congress to address this in a fashion that is reasoned and responsible. People want a solution to our immigration challenges that is bipartisan, permanent and legal.
