Several potential Republican nominees for president converged on the Iowa Agricultural Summit to lay out their message and position themselves for a general election race in 2016. While several potential candidates laid out their position on illegal immigration, ranging from enforcement of existing laws to amnesty for illegal aliens, only a few spoke on legal immigration.
United States District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled late Monday night to temporarily block certain executive actions President Obama took late last year that would grant amnesty and work permits to an estimated 5 million illegal aliens. In the wake of the ruling, several Members of Congress have issued statements applauding the injunction and doubling down on their commitment to pass a DHS spending bill that blocks funding for President Obama's executive amnesties.
Kenneth Palinkas, President of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, released a statement yesterday condemning President Obama's executive amnesty, the lack of action in the Senate to reverse the executive actions, and the upcoming border security bill. Palinkas stated the "grave peril" that President Obama's "skewed priorities" in granting executive amnesty to millions of illegal aliens puts the 12,000 adjudicators and personnel he represents at USCIS in.
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Homeland Security passed an amended version H.R. 399, the Secure our Borders First Act of 2015, by a vote of 18-to-12. The bill, introduced by Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to gain and maintain operational control of the international borders of the United States.
NumbersUSA is running a full-page ad in several political journals today highlighting the unconstitutionality of President Obama's plans for executive action on amnesty and work permits for millions of illegal aliens. The ad points out that arguments against his actions have come from within his own party as well as some in the mainstream media.
In a news conference held on Wednesday, President Obama announced that he plans on fulfilling his pledge to take executive action on immigration despite the loss of control of the Senate.