Obama pledges to bypass Congress on immigration reform
Obama pledges to bypass Congress on immigration reform
WASHINGTON — With the House unlikely to vote on immigration reform, President Obama announced Monday he’s exploring executive actions to fixing immigration problems.
In the White House Rose Garden, Obama said yesterday that Republicans in the House have refused an up-or-down vote on immigration reform, and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) informed him last week there would be no vote on the issue this year.
As a result, he said he’s beginning a new effort “to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress.” He’s asked the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to come back with recommendations that don’t require congressional approval by the end of the summer.
Obama plans to continue reaching out to House Republicans “in the hope they will deliver a more permanent solution with a comprehensive bill. Maybe it will be after midterms, when they’re less worried about politics. Maybe it will be next year,” he said. “I have been consistent in saying that I am prepared to work with them even on a bill that I don’t consider perfect.”
The United Fresh Produce Association praised Obama’s “commitment” for moving the issue ahead but again urged the House to take up immigration reform and save fruit and vegetable production from being driven out of the United States.
“We appreciate President Obama’s commitment to try to address our broken immigration policy through executive action, but urge the House of Representatives not to abandon their responsibility to address this serious issue,” Tom Stenzel, United Fresh president and chief executive officer, said in a statement Monday.
“If the House continues to disregard its responsibility to address this issue, the produce industry has no choice but to work with the Administration on short-term administrative patches that will be appreciated, but are ultimately unsatisfactory,” Stenzel said.
“Congressional inaction on immigration reform is driving fruit and vegetable production out of the United State, costing U.S. consumers and farmers millions of dollars, and eliminating jobs across the produce supply chain,” he said.
