Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez has a warning for the GOP: Don’t mess with the president’s executive action on immigration if you want to win elections.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart Wednesday, the congressman and immigration activist warned Republicans that their continued efforts to block President Barack Obama’s executive action will “come back to haunt” the GOP at polls come 2016.
Gutierrez added that the “militancy” of the immigrant community will be unleashed “in an unprecedented manner” due to “voter anger” at the GOP.
Gutierrez’s remarks come two days after a federal judge in Texas blocked the president’s unilateral plan to award work permits to four million illegal immigrants.
“[T]he Republican Party is making a critical mistake,” Gutierrez said. “The militancy that will be activated throughout the immigrant community, voter participation, voter anger at the Republican Party as a party on the United States, I think you’re going to see it in unprecedented manner.”
“Look, you may think you won today, your victory is going to be short-lived,” Gutierrez warned. “November 2016 is coming around the corner, and this will come back to haunt you.”