Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following comment about the President's announcement that the administration will halt deportation and allow the issuance of work permits to those in the country illegally.
"The President's action is an affront to the process of representative government by circumventing Congress and with a directive he may not have the authority to execute. The President once denied that he had the legal authority to do this, and Congress was assured more than once that the administration would consider individuals for this sort of deferred status on a case-by-case basis only, and that there was no plan to implement a broad-based program. It seems the President has put election-year politics above responsible policies. On top of providing amnesty to those under 30 years old, the administration now will be granting work authorizations to illegal immigrants at the same time young Americans face record-high unemployment rates. Americans also deserve to know how this amnesty program for hundreds of thousands of people will be funded, and whether resources for border security and enforcement will be diverted. Congress has the authority to write immigration laws, and with this order the President is disregarding the voice of the people through their elected representatives in Congress."
