Sen. Enzi said he will consider ‘every option’ to stop Obama on this issue

The Wyoming congressional delegation strongly criticized President Barack Obama’s speech on immigration policies by using executive orders.

The three Republican lawmakers joined with others in their party denouncing Obama’s plan to use executive order to accomplish his goals.

Sen. Mike Enzi said he would “be looking closely at every option” to stop Obama from carrying through on his announced plan.

Sen. John Barrasso said Obama could have chosen to work with Congress but decided not to do so, losing the opportunity to seek “common ground.” 

Rep. Cynthia Lummis said House and Senate Republicans “are working to turn over every stone, find every way possible that we can prevent this massive usurpation by the president of legislative authority.”

In the speech Thursday night, Obama said he wanted to allow people in the country illegally to “come out of the shadows and get right with the law.”  The immigration system is broken, he said.

“It’s been this way for decades,” Obama said. “And for decades, we haven’t done much about it.”

Under the president’s plan, people who came to the U.S. as children and parents of children who are citizens or legal permanent residents — the vast majority of whom are from Mexico or Central America — will not have to worry about being deported for three years.

It does not make it easier for them to become citizens, however.

In concert with that, the president said he would step up security along the Mexican-American border, deporting undocumented immigrants who are convicted felons, gang members or may be risks to the nation.

There are more than 11 million undocumented people living in the United States. These changes would allow them to more easily obtain jobs and live more openly while also likely having more workers pay Social Security and income taxes. Critics feel there will be other, more harmful consequences.

Enzi has opposed previous attempts at providing amnesty for illegal immigrants and said shortly after the speech was over that he opposes the president’s plan and said Obama is acting outside of his authority.

“By circumventing Congress on immigration and instituting his will through executive actions, President Obama is eroding the very foundation of our country and form of government,” Enzi said in a release. “This sets a dangerous precedent where future presidents can flout any law they happen to disagree with and alter the law without going through Congress.”

He said Congress, especially in light of Republican wins in the Nov. 4 election, should not and will not stand idly by while Obama acts.

“I am an opponent of amnesty, but this is part of a much larger fight,” Enzi said. “We’ve seen the damage done over the past six years because of Obamacare and rogue agencies like the IRS and EPA. I will continue to fight executive overreach, including amnesty by executive order, whether by targeting rampant, unaccountable federal spending, working to reverse illegal executive orders with legitimate federal laws, or using the Congressional Review Act to reject the president’s actions.”

Barrasso said Obama had made a “reckless and unlawful decision.”

“President Obama’s announcement on executive amnesty flies in the face of his promises to follow the law, deliver ‘fairness’ and help jobless Americans,” Barrasso said in a release. “His reckless and unlawful decision makes it even harder for Washington to solve our immigration challenges.

“It didn’t have to be this way.  Republicans have made it clear that we support responsible immigration reform that would secure our borders and modernize our broken system. 

Lummis said Obama’s actions “are an overreach of unprecedented proportions.”

“The president expanded his own executive order on DACA, that is, deferred action for childhood arrivals,” Lummis said in statement to the Powell Tribune.

“Of course, that is the executive order that last summer caused a number of Central Americans to come here illegally and to disappear into the interior of the country — sometimes with human traffickers,” she said. “This is something that we should be stopping, not expanding.”

In his speech, Obama said he was forced to issue executive orders to deal with the issue.

“Members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill,” he said. “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.”

The Wyoming delegation said the president was wrong to have taken these steps and most people agreed with them. “We are listening to Americans — and we will stand up for them,” Barrasso said.