President Barack Obama’s promise to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants following the midterm elections is “lawless” and a power-grab comparable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intrusion into Ukraine, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert said Tuesday.
“As I listen to my colleagues talk about the president intruding into Article 1 section 8 — the powers that are given under the Constitution, to the legislature, to the Congress — and taking those, it occurs to me that this president is to our constitution as Putin is to Ukraine,” he said at a press conference.
Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Marsha Blackburn led the conference, where they and other Republicans called for the Senate to vote on a House-passed bill that would prevent the president from using federal funds to expand amnesty for illegal immigrants.
The bill, sponsored by Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn would effectively freeze Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which they say is acting as a magnet for children on the border, and is the root cause of the crisis.
“The only way to solve the crisis at the border,” Sen. Cruz said. “Is to end the promise of amnesty that is causing these children to come, and causing these little boys and little girls to be victimized, to be physically assaulted, to be sexually assaulted by violent drug cartels and coyotes that are bringing them in.”
“This crisis on the border is President Obama’s fault,” added Texas Rep. Pete Olson.
Obama said in an interview earlier this week that he intends to take executive action to authorize temporary amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants following the midterm elections. Republicans are outraged at what they see as a purely political move, and Rep. Gohmert accused the president of taking action that will help drug cartels profit at the expense of American jobs.
“Adults have lost jobs right and left, including in our military,” he said. “They have been losing jobs because of the decisions of the United States government. … Those people have dreams. Their kids have dreams. What about their dreams?”
“It’s time to stop helping the drug cartels, and hurting the dreams of African Americans, Hispanic Americans for heavens sake, all Americans. And we can do that if we step up, and say ‘enough lawlessness Mr. President.'”
Editor’s Note: For a short period of time, this article incorrectly attributed the above quote to Sen. Jeff Sessions.