Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ) has introduced a bill in the House that would stop President Obama’s unilateral decision to prevent deportation of certain illegal immigrants. The “Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act of 2012” would stop the “outrageous edict” that Obama announced, said Quayle, the son of former vice president Dan Quayle. “President Obama and Secretary Napolitano’s decision to end the enforcement of many of our nation’s immigration laws is stunning in both its arrogance and shortsightedness.” But even as Quayle pushes to stop Obama, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has praised Obama’s decision tacitly by withdrawing a bill that would achieve some of Obama’s goals in a straightforwardly legal fashion.
It is unlikely that Quayle’s bill will move forward. House Republicans are running scared on the issue. “The president’s announcement on immigration is — it puts everyone in a difficult position,” stuttered House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). “I think we all have concerns for those who are caught in this trap, who through no fault of their own are here. But the president’s actions are going to make it much more difficult for us to work in a bipartisan way to get to a permanent solution.”