Obama’s executive actions on immigration?

WASHINGTON –  Republican lawmakers ripped into Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Tuesday as he defended President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, in his first Capitol Hill appearance since the president announced the overhaul.


While acknowledging the country's immigration system is broken, Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, called out the Obama administration for side-stepping Congress to push the immigration overhaul through.


“Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there’s a right way to do this and a wrong way,” McCaul said. He added: "This is not how democracy works."


Johnson appeared before the House Homeland Security Committee in the administration’s first testimony on the issue, as Republicans scramble to find a way to block or stall parts of Obama's plan.
Some conservatives circulated bill language Monday stipulating that no money or fees "may be used by any agency to implement, administer, enforce or carry out any of the policy changes" announced by Obama. They hope to include it in an upcoming must-pass spending bill, forcing a confrontation with Senate Democrats and potentially Obama. Congress must pass a government funding bill by Dec. 11 to avoid a partial government shutdown.


But while conservatives are eager to use that as leverage to block Obama's moves, Republican leaders fear that could result in a veto by Obama and a subsequent shutdown. House Speaker John Boehner is pushing a separate plan to vote on a measure disapproving the president’s action later this week. The House would then consider a full-year spending bill for most government agencies along with a shorter-term measure for departments that deal with immigration.


Obama’s executive actions would halt deportations for nearly 5 million illegal immigrants, which applies to those who have been in the country for more than five years and have kids who are citizens or green card holders. Johnson defended the actions on Tuesday.
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SEC. JEH JOHNSON DEFIES AMNESTY'S EFFECT ON AMERICAN WORKER
by CHARLIE SPIERING, Breitbart


During the House Homeland Security hearing today, Rep. Lou Barletta grilled Secretary Jeh Johnson on whether the president's executive actions on immigration would hurt Americans who are looking for work.


“Well, the economy is getting better, I’m sure you know,” Johnson said, calling it a “separate issue” from the immigration debate.


“Adding five million more competitors for these jobs will make it easier?” Barletta, a Pennsylvania Republican, asked with disbelief. Johnson pointed out that Obama’s executive decision would encourage existing illegal immigrants to “come out of the shadows” instead of working off the books.
Read the Full Story at Breitbart 
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Jeh Johnson defends Obama immigration action to House Republicans
By Jerry Markon


House Republicans clashed with the Obama administration over its recent executive actions on immigration Tuesday, with lawmakers blasting the measures as divisive and illegal but a top administration official defending them as a lawful and necessary first step toward fixing the nation's broken immigration system.


Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, in the first appearance on Capitol Hill by an administration official to defend Obama’s actions, said the administration ordered a thorough legal review to ensure their legality. “The reality is that, for decades, presidents have used executive authority to enhance immigration policy,’’ Johnson told the House homeland security committee.
Read the Full Story at the Washington Post


http://nation.foxnews.com/2014/12/02/not-how-democracy-works-republicans-rip-architect-obamas-executive-amnesty