Rep. Yoho Introduces Bill to Prevent Executive Amnesty

Press Release

Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL-03) - in an attempt to preserve Article I legislative powers - introduced the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act (H.R. 5759). The legislation clarifies that the Executive Branch does not have the authority to exempt categories of persons unlawfully present in the U.S. from removal.

It also makes clear that any executive action seeking to exempt these categories of persons is a violation of the law and thus has no legal effect. This legislation is a permanent solution that will apply to past, present, and future executive actions that attempt to circumvent the law. Congressman Yoho released the following statement:

"Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 gives Congress the "Power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization," while Article II, Section 3 lays out clearly that the "The President shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." With the go-it-alone approach of the President on immigration, I felt it necessary to introduce this bill and stop the President from going around Congress and the American people. An executive "fix" of the law is unconstitutional, temporary, and will establish a very dangerous precedent.

"Let's be clear, our immigration policy in America is broken and has been broken for a long time. Both Republicans and Democrats share responsibility for the current state of immigration in this country. That being said, now is not the time for the President to rule by fiat and go against the Constitution. Even the Washington Post, never a bastion of conservative reporting, has recommended the President not take this course of action.

"Yes, the President has prosecutorial discretion -- in certain cases -- but that does not mean he has the authority to provide blanket amnesty or pardons to 5 million illegal aliens. I, along with the American people, want to fix our broken immigration system. But this fix must come from well thought-out legislation that puts the needs of the country first. Once that is done, we can have open and honest debate in Congress to hammer out our differences. This is the way the framers of our Constitution intended our laws to be made.

"It is time to stop kicking the immigration can down the road. Let us come together, put the country first, and fix the issue of illegal immigration once and for all."

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