Blumenthal Statement on President Obama's Executive Action on Immigration

(Hartford, CT) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today released the following statement after President Obama announced executive action on immigration:

“President Obama is using his well-established legal powers to reform a sadly-broken, inhumane immigration enforcement system. Just as Presidents have done since Dwight Eisenhower, he is taking a profoundly important step under his existing legal authority, because Congress has failed to implement the comprehensive reform passed 511 days ago by a strong bipartisan majority of the Senate. The President’s reforms are only a first step, and the nation still needs the comprehensive immigration overhaul that only legislative action can achieve.

“Having reviewed existing law, I am very well satisfied that the President’s actions are well within his authority. This action will bolster the American economy, create jobs at home, end the exploitation of powerless undocumented workers, and make us all safer by allowing millions of immigrants out of the shadows. As previously-undocumented immigrants begin working legitimate jobs and paying taxes, law enforcement will gain an immensely valuable advantage, as they will be able to focus resources on those who are unable to pass background checks or choose not to participate in the legal economy.

“One of the preeminent benefits of this action will be to keep families together, ending the prospect of deporting parents of U.S. citizens, and enabling them to seek jobs, pay taxes, and support their families. These steps serve basic American values that make us the greatest country in the history of the world.”

Earlier this week, Sen. Blumenthal and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote to President Obama and urged him to use his executive authority to fix America’s broken immigration system.