Letter to Republican Colleague - President Obama Kills Immigration Reform (again)

Letter

Dear Republican Colleague:

We are all aware of the President's continuous disregard for duly passed law, as is evident in his politically motivated implementation of our immigration laws. We have witnessed first-hand the disaster caused by announcing his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy with the crisis on the southern border earlier this year. Now, we are hearing reports that he is preparing millions of work permits for illegal immigrants, but waiting to unveil his politically unpopular plan until after the 2014 elections. Most recently, many Members of Congress had their concerns realized in a recent report from USA Today (see below).

As you may recall, many of us called into question and followed closely the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement last year that they released 2,200 undocumented criminal immigrants. At the time, Congress and the American people were assured by administration officials that the immigrants released were only "low-level offenders".

Records now confirm that those released to the public included "people charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, drug trafficking and homicide." Astonishingly, "ICE managers in Washington did not know precisely who had been released until after the episode had been reported by the news media."

If the President truly wants to pass immigration reform, he must immediately stop unilateral implementation of self-serving policies through executive action, and commit to work with both chambers of Congress about this important issue. Republicans have shown a willingness to make important decisions for this nation, including immigration reform, but this will prove impossible if the President cannot be a trusted partner in any efforts to implement reform.

Sincerely,

MATT SALMON
Member of Congress

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