U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, who represents parts of Collier and Miami-Dade Counties, said he likes some details in President Obama’s plan relieving about 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.
Diaz-Balart said he has some pretty big problems with how the president is doing this. He said Obama doesn’t have the authority to use an executive order to change immigration policy. Diaz-Balart said only Congress can do that.
“It would seem that what he is trying to do is not solve an issue but try to create a quasi-constitutional crisis and that’s not the way you start working together,” he said. “That’s not the way to get the new congress to develop trust and relationships to work together. That’s the way you throw a wrench into the whole system.”
President Obama during his announcement Thursday anticipated Republicans in Congress would question his authority. Obama says instead they should be working to pass their own laws.
“I want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution and the day I sign that bill into law, the actions I take will no longer be necessary,” he said during his announcement.
Obama said he’s been waiting for Congress to act for years. However, lawmakers have been dragging their feet and have even refused to tackle the issue ahead of contentious elections.
Diaz-Balart said he will continue to work on getting comprehensive immigration reform passed in the Republican-led U.S. House.
