Fresh off of a resounding victory over Senate Democrats, six GOP senators sent a letter to outgoing Majority Leader Harry Reid asking him to block any attempt by President Obama to unilaterally grant amnesty to illegal immigrants during the lame-duck session.
“We write to express our alarm with President Obama’s announced intention to take unilateral executive action by the end of this year to lawlessly grant amnesty to immigrants who have entered the country illegally,” reads the letter sent Wednesday by Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Crapo, Mike Lee, Pat Roberts, Jeff Sessions, and David Vitter.
“As majority leader of the Senate,” they wrote Reid, “you have the responsibility of not only representing the citizens of your State, but also of protecting the Constitution through vigilant exercise of the checks and balances provided under the Constitution.”
Claiming that Congress has failed to act on immigration reform, President Obama has repeatedly stated his intention to act unilaterally to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Those plans have been scaled back, however, in the face of strong opposition from both Republicans and the general public. (RELATED: Obama Hints He’ll Delay Amnesty Until After Election)
Obama initially planned to act this summer, but the massive child immigration crisis disrupted those plans. Seeing that amnesty would prove politically harmful to Democratic senate candidates, the White House decided to act after the midterm election. (RELATED: Obama Tries To Keep Amnesty Off The 2014 Ballot)
Recent reports also surfaced claiming that Obama’s plan will offer fewer concessions and provide amnesty to fewer illegal immigrants than pro-immigration groups would like.
“We write to offer our full assistance in ensuring expeditious Senate debate and passage for a measure that preserves the power of Congress by blocking any action the President may take to violate the Constitution and unilaterally grant amnesty,” the letter from the half-dozen lawmakers reads.
But, they warned, “should you decline to defend the Senate and the Constitution from executive overreach, the undersigned Senators will use all procedural means necessary to return the Senate’s focus during the lame duck session to resolving the constitutional crisis created by President Obama’s lawless amnesty.”
