[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 150 (Wednesday, December 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PREVENTING EXECUTIVE OVERREACH ON IMMIGRATION ACT OF 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 4, 2014

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5759, 
the so-called ``Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014.''
  This bill is nothing more than a political stunt by my colleagues 
across the aisle. It seeks to restrict the President from using his 
executive authority--much in the same way that President Reagan and 
President George H.W. Bush have done before him--to further secure the 
border and prioritize deporting felons over families. In fact, over the 
last 50 years, every President has used executive authority to take 
action on immigration, including six Republican Presidents.
  This bill would not only be limited to the President's most recent 
use of executive authority but would also prevent the Administration 
from granting deferred action to Dreamers who are currently eligible 
for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but have not yet 
received it. This would effectively end the DACA program--which has 
already provided temporary protection for 700,000 individuals who were 
brought to the United States as children--and would subject hundreds of 
thousands Dreamers to deportation. This legislation is so broad that 
the Administration would not even be able to grant deferred action from 
deportation to family members of U.S. Military troops.
  Most importantly, this bill does nothing to address our broken 
immigration system. It has been more than 520 days since the Senate 
passed a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill yet Speaker 
Boehner has refused to let us vote on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, 
let the People's House vote on this important measure and let democracy 
work its will. Why is this House so afraid of a little democracy?

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