President Obama’s executive orders on immigration in the fall were “unconstitutional” and “unprecedented,” and have “invited the deadly surge at our Southern border,” U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) said on Friday.
Smith helped write two immigration bills that passed the House Judiciary Committee this week.
“We must restore the rule of law and right the wrongs this president has inflicted on the American people and on our immigration system,” Smith said. “This week, I worked to pass two bills on the House Judiciary Committee to restore our rule of law and strengthen enforcement.
One bill, called the Michael Davis, Jr., and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act, would allow local and state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws. Smith said the proposal would mean immigration laws would still be followed, “even in cases where the president attempts to tie the hands of federal enforcement agencies, as he did last November with his executive amnesty.”
The other bill, the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act, would ensure that those receiving federal asylum would qualify.
“The current administration has exploited existing laws to open our borders wide to any and all who come here illegally,” Smith said. “Our bill restores the law to its rightful purpose to grant asylum only for reasons of credible fear on a limited, case-by-case basis.”