On the recordMarch 17, 2016
I think it is worth reflecting why we are here. When we had the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate last Congress, the Congressional Budget Office calculated that it would mean almost a trillion dollars to the positive for the American economy, not to mention the human toll that our current broken system inflicts on people. Now, we failed to act. And when we did, the President went to the Office of Legal Counsel, an independent group, and asked them what he could do, if anything. I thought they were rather conservative, but one of the things they said he could do was to give temporary reprieve to children who had been brought here without their concurrence and to the parents of American citizens. So he did that. How could he do that? Because the Congress has delegated to the executive the authority to act. In 1952, we did so--it can be found at 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(3)--and again in 2002. When we created the Department of Homeland Security, we told the Department Secretary that he should establish immigration policies and priorities for removal. Now, why would that happen? We have only appropriated 4 percent of the funds necessary to remove everyone who is here without their proper papers. So clearly, there needs to be some prioritization. We recognize that. We told the Secretary to do it, and that is exactly what he did. We delegated the authority. On work authorization, again, we delegated that authority.…
