Sen. Jeff Sessions is urging his fellow lawmakers to defund executive orders that soften immigration laws, such as a 2012 “deferred action” order that granted benefits to younger immigrants.
“It is time to reclaim the words ‘immigration reform’ — incorrectly used by lobbyists and politicians as code language for amnesty and mass immigration — and reapply them correctly to legislation that benefits Americans,” the Alabama Republican wrote in a USA Today op-ed Friday.
“Congress should thus use its constitutional power of the purse to prohibit funding for both the illegal 2012 and 2014 amnesties,” he added.
Sessions lauded a court’s recent decision to block President Obama’s 2014 executive order, which expanded illegal immigrants’ access to work permits and taxpayer benefits.
But he warned against other measures that are still on the books as the presidential election heats up.
“Whoever wants to occupy the desk in the Oval Office must support legislation to bring down record immigration numbers — and to put the country back to work,” Sessions said.
He noted 83 percent of voters “want to see projected immigration growth reduced,” referring to a Pew Research Center survey.
