DHS: Obama's Immigration Decree Will Be 'Comprehensive'

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson described President Obama’s forthcoming executive action on immigration as “comprehensive.”

Said Johnson:

“I do not want and will not get out ahead of the president and the announcement that he will make in the coming days,” Johnson said at the Washington think tank New Democrat Network.

“Legislative action is always preferable, but we’ve waited now for years to get Congress to act, and Congress has not acted.”

This is sort of an odd thing to say since the Congress is responsible for passing the laws in this country. If they don’t pass the laws the president wants, that’s the breaks.  Nothing in the Constitution says the president can take over legislative duties if the Congress isn’t acting desirably.

Johnson said he believed Obama’s policy moves would fall within “a fairly wide latitude within existing executive authority to fix the system.”

“They will address a number of things, including border security,” Johnson said. The “comprehensive reforms are all within our existing legal authority to fix the broken immigration system.”

Lawmakers are alarmed at Obama’s impending actions. The Hill writes, “The Republican chairmen of the House Homeland Security and Judiciary committees on Wednesday said they are ‘disappointed’ in Obama’s decision to move forward, calling it a ‘slap in the face to the American people and the Constitution.’ ”

“The Constitution is clear that it is Congress’ duty to write our laws and, once they are enacted, it is the president’s responsibility to enforce them. Something as important as changing our immigration laws cannot be forced by unilateral action by the president,” Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) wrote in a letter to Obama.

Johnson also explained he was “disheartened and disappointed” by how “volatile” the immigration debate had become. Johnson and Obama are completely out-of-touch with how much the American people don’t like having unwanted rules shoved down their throat by a king. We set up a Constitution to remedy that kind of problem.