WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation responded Friday night to President Barack Obama’s move to shield 5-million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
“I disagree with the President’s decision to use executive action to make changes to our immigration system, and I disagree with the House’s decision to not even take a vote on the bipartisan Senate legislation that overwhelmingly passed in June 2013,” U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said in a prepared statement.
President Obama said the immigration system is broken and has been for decades.
“We’ll deport felons, not families,” Obama said.
West Virginia First District Congressman David McKinley called Obama’s announcement “a divisive, political calculation that will poison the well for his ability to work with the new Congress that will be sworn in just six weeks from now.
“Earlier this month the American people roundly rejected President Obama’s policies by electing a Republican Senate and larger majority in the House. They sent a message that the President must work with Congress. Tonight’s announcement that he will act alone on immigration shows that he wasn’t listening.”
Under the President Obama’s executive order, the undocument immigrants can stay in the country for up to three years but they will have to pass background checks and pay back taxes.
Manchin is calling on Congress to work toward a solution.
“We will only achieve sustainable, comprehensive immigration reform if all sides work together,” he said.
West Virginia Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito called Obama’s decision “unconstitutional and wrong.”
“These actions by executive order intrude on the constitutional role and responsibility of Congress to write, debate and pass laws. Even President Obama said as recently as last year that he lacked the constitutional authority to take this action unilaterally,” Capito said.
111
Comments
David Kennedy
One thing needs to be made perfectly clear.
Each State will pay the bill for these illegals.
Let me say that again....
Each state will foot the bill for this Federal Mandate....
Let me say that one more time....
Each state will pay for this...nobody else...!!!
November 23, 2014 at 4:35 pm |
Tim
I dislike this President/Liberals more and more with each passing day.
November 23, 2014 at 10:50 am |
Bill
The emperor has spoken.
November 23, 2014 at 9:33 am |
Mr.P
No need to worry,Hillary will fix everything,lol.
November 22, 2014 at 9:15 pm |
Gary
Any law that is passed with be over ruled by the liberal courts but I don't think congress can pass a law on this. They invade our country illegally. Then they tell us we owe them. What a bunch of crap. They can tell TSA all kinds of sob stories most are probably made up and they believe them. But when we go to get our drivers licenses we have to have all kinds of proof. Stop birthwright and send all of them back home. Obama is turning us into a third world country. We have legal ways to come to this country.
November 22, 2014 at 10:28 am |
Roger Stamper
more food stamps??
November 22, 2014 at 5:59 am |
Roger Stamper
more food stamps???
November 22, 2014 at 5:57 am |
Debra
How is he an illegal president?
November 21, 2014 at 11:43 pm |
CPA
He was not born in the U.S. He was brought into Hawaii when he was just three days old.
November 22, 2014 at 9:55 pm |
Debra
Not. But let's say just for fun that you are right. Doesn't matter. Anyone who has one parent who is American citizen is a natural born citizen. That means even Ted Cruz can be president. And it is a fact that he was born in Canada.
November 23, 2014 at 10:23 pm |
Tracyo64
The ILLEGAL president is writing ILLEGAL legislation to protect ILLEGAL immigrants. I hope the majority of Americans are finally getting a clue, because he's been pulling this crap for 6 years and nobody calls him on it. Lip service and and pandering to special interests (read kissing Obama's A$*)is all we've gotten from CONgress since 2008. I sincerely hope that a Republican-lead CONgress has the balls to put their money where their mouth was during the elections.
November 21, 2014 at 5:09 pm |
Debra
I get all the other stuff, but how is he an illegal president?
November 21, 2014 at 11:41 pm |
William Glasser
So illegals help us balance entitlement budgets ! Who knew ?
November 21, 2014 at 2:46 pm |
Half Full
Bachmann said Wednesday that the immigrants given new protections by the president could become “illiterate” Democratic voters.
That would counteract the illiterate voters Republicans have attracted with their stand on coal.
November 21, 2014 at 1:56 pm |
RogerD
The Congress can criticize the President's actions as unconstitutional all they want. However, if they don't act to correct his behavior, they are guilty of ignoring the Constitution too.
November 21, 2014 at 12:41 pm |
Tracyo64
That was very concise. Thank you. I use too many words :)
November 21, 2014 at 5:11 pm |
Jonus Grumby
Five million new democrats with the stroke of the pen. Is this a great country or what?
November 21, 2014 at 12:40 pm |
Jason412
Jonus Grumby,
Not so fast. in 2004, George W Bush received 44% of the Hispanic vote.
November 21, 2014 at 3:31 pm |
Silas Lynch
More like an estimated 40% according to Pew but OK, 40% so that makes it what, something like 3 million new democrat voters?
November 22, 2014 at 7:39 am |
Jason412
Silas,
In what country do you live that if there are 5 million people, there are 5 million votes? It sure as hell isn't the same country I live in.
I expect the Republican Presidential candidate in 2016 will be spending millions to tell the immigrants allowed to stay in the country under this executive order not to vote for them. Or will they be right beside Democrat's begging for any Hispanic votes that may be a result of this?
November 23, 2014 at 2:30 am |
vashti
“These actions by executive order intrude on the constitutional role and responsibility of Congress to write, debate and pass laws. Even President Obama said as recently as last year that he lacked the constitutional authority to take this action unilaterally,” Capito said.
Then perhaps the house should have availed themselves of their constituational duty and done something before now.,.
also my understanding is that this is an executive action which is different than and executive order. the unconcstitutional mantra is getting pretty old pretty quick. if you can't make it stick try a new schtick
November 21, 2014 at 11:42 am |
The bookman
The lack of action, or the purposeful choice to not react to Senate bills, by the House is a determined choice. You can't say they haven't read it, considered it, and passed on it. The House has acted by not putting it up for a vote, just as the Democratic controlled Senate in coordination with the Oval Office has done on any number of House Bills.
That inaction by Congress may encourage the President to usurp their power. However, it does not make it any more constitutional to do so. The Constitution explicitly places Immigration under complete Congressional Authority. The President believed a few months ago that he did not have the authority to unilaterally take this step. Yet he does so on the knowledge that the Senate is changing hands and control of the legislation hitting his desk will be outside of his control.
November 21, 2014 at 12:12 pm |
Tracyo64
He's gotten away with it every time before. Why shouldn't he just do what he wants? No one stops him, so apparently it works.
November 21, 2014 at 5:15 pm |
William Glasser
Hey, Bookman,
Same situation RR was in when he used Executive Action to go byyond Congress and the law to grant amnesty to additional 2.7 million illegals. BTW 41 did the same thing.
Hey, Bookman, are you sure you are OK. I expect more from you.
WWG
November 21, 2014 at 12:22 pm |
The bookman
It isn't the same when that action creates the equivalent of legislation, versus refining existing bipartisan legislation as was the case with RR and 41. Agree or disagree? The President seems to be confused as well, so I'm willing to give you some time to work out your opinion. He's a Constitutional Scholar and he can't seem to make up his mind either. At least Reagan and Bush were just Cowboys and had an excuse.
November 21, 2014 at 12:34 pm |
William Glasser
Hey, Bookman,
Works for me.
November 22, 2014 at 1:17 pm |
The bookman
It is estimated that it would take an additional $16B annually to fully secure the border. As a constitutional responsibility of the federal government, I think we should do what is necessary to gain control of our border.
Why it wasn't done before is just more of the same "It's Bush's Fault!" Granting amnesty without controlling entry into the country only ensures we will be right back here in a decade or two dealing with the same issue. Can we please just solve these divisive issues so that we can put them to bed.
Just one metaphor per sentence should be OK.
November 22, 2014 at 1:15 pm |
William Glasser
They all need to go back and we should take any property they have. Also, fine them some substantial sum on the way out.
Next go after all their employers for present and past (since 1986) penalties. In SW US, Walmart and others will pay billions.
That should free up enough minimum wage jobs that everyone unemployed who wants to work can have two or three of them.
Use the penalty money for laser "fences" for the border. They are cheaper and more effective.
Now, all we need are robots which can pick the crops.
Agree ?
November 22, 2014 at 12:45 pm |
Hop'sHip
How would you seal up the border? Why didn't Republicans do it back in the early 2000s when they controlled both branches and when there was considerably more traffic across the border than there is now?
November 22, 2014 at 11:49 am |
The bookman
I'm saying inaction in Congress does not permit unconstitutional action. Inaction in Congress is also a method used within the rules to deal with legislation passed by one house or the other. Both parties do it, and both houses are guilty.
Rounding up 11 million people is no more ludicrous than granting amnesty to those same 11 million assuming that will somehow solve our problem.
Seal up the border. Gain control of the immigrant flow. Then we can talk about righting the wrongs of the past. Repeating those wrongs, and sending mixed messages to impoverished populations to our south is how we find ourselves in our current dilemma.
November 22, 2014 at 11:14 am |
Hop'sHip
So you are arguing we should gather up all 11 million deemed illegal and deport them? What should the executive branch do when the legislative branch gives them no direction?
November 22, 2014 at 8:47 am |
William Glasser
It is not the same thing; but, it is not any better.
Please stay the sweet law and order guy you have always been.
November 21, 2014 at 12:53 pm |
No Thanks
Gee. What a coincidence. There's a current Metro News story about one of those poor, hardworking fruit pickers. "Rodolfo Villagomez Correa, 34, a Mexican national illegally in the country, admitted in court Thursday to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit the murder of Joshua Oberg in January 2012."
November 21, 2014 at 11:39 am |