Weekly
Address: Immigration Accountability Executive Action
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 22, 2014
Hi everybody. Today, I’m at Del
Sol High School, in Las Vegas, to talk with students and families about
immigration.
We are a nation of immigrants. It
has always given America a big advantage over other nations. It keeps our
country young, dynamic, and entrepreneurial. But today, our immigration system
is broken, and everybody knows it.
That’s why, nearly two years ago,
I came to this school and laid out principles for immigration reform. And five
months later, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the Senate came
together to pass a commonsense compromise bill. That bill would have secured
our border, while giving undocumented immigrants who already live here a
pathway to citizenship if they paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and
went to the back of the line. Independent experts said it would grow our
economy, and shrink our deficits.
Now, had the House of Representatives
allowed a yes-or-no vote on that kind of bill, it would have passed with
support from both parties. Today it would be the law. But for a year and a
half, Republican leaders in the House have refused to allow that simple vote.
Now, I still believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working
together – both parties – to pass that kind of bipartisan law. But until that
happens, there are actions I have the legal authority to take as President –
the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican Presidents before
me – that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just.
I took those actions this week.
We’re providing more resources at the border to help law enforcement personnel
stop illegal crossings, and send home those who do cross over. We’ll focus
enforcement resources on people who are threats to our security – felons, not
families; criminals, not children. And we’ll bring more undocumented immigrants
out of the shadows so they can play by the rules, pay their full share of
taxes, pass a criminal background check, and get right with the law.
Nothing about this action will
benefit anyone who has come to this country recently, or who might try and come
to America illegally in the future. It does not grant citizenship, or the right
to stay here permanently, or offer the same benefits that citizens receive. And
it’s certainly not amnesty, no matter how often the critics say it. Amnesty is
the immigration system we have today – millions of people living here without
paying their taxes, or playing by the rules. And the actions I took this week
will finally start fixing that.
As you might have heard, there
are Members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration
system work better. Well, I have one answer for that: Pass a bill. The day I
sign it into law, the actions I’ve taken to help solve this problem will no
longer be necessary.
In the meantime, we can’t allow a
disagreement over a single issue to be a dealbreaker on every issue. That’s not
how our democracy works. This debate deserves more than politics as usual. It’s
important for our future. It’s about who we are, and the future we want to
build.
We are only here because this
country welcomed our forebears, and taught them that being American is about
more than what we look like or where we come from. What makes us Americans is
our shared commitment to an ideal – that all of us are created equal, and all
of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will. That’s the country we
inherited, and it’s the one we have to leave for future generations.
Thank you, God bless you, and
have a great weekend. |
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