Sen. Sessions: House Last Line of Defense for American Workers Against Amnesty

On Friday, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said the House was the last line of defense for the millions of Americans whose wages and livelihood will be put at risk by amnesty and comprehensive immigration reform. 

He urged House Republicans to put the interests of American workers ahead of those of the consultant class, lobbyists, and Democrats who want cheaper labor and more potential votes. 

House Republican leaders are preparing to unveil their “immigration principles” which will include amnesty provisions that the Congressional Budget Office determined would lower the wages of American workers. Sessions, the ranking Member of the Budget Committee, said that Obama and Senate Democrats have “uniformly embraced an immigration plan that would devastate wages and working conditions for millions of struggling Americans to benefit a small cadre of lobbyists and CEOs.”

He added that their plan “doubles the flow of immigrant workers, adds another 30 million new permanent residents to compete for every job, and guarantees illegal immigration will continue permanently in the future.” Sessions warned the House to not pass comprehensive immigration reform in everything but name only, which is what Obama has desired and Rep. Luis Gutierrez’s (D-IL) has said his “Republican friends” do as well. 

“House Republican leaders must dismiss the whispers of the consultant class, the pleadings of the business lobby, and the pressure campaign from the activists who believe illegal immigration is a civil right,” Sessions said. “It would be tragic if the Leader’s immigration principles were simply a ‘piecemeal’ repackaging of the Senate plan.”

Sessions said Republicans must “embrace the national interest” first by “placing its first emphasis on helping millions of Americans transition from welfare and unemployment to work and rising wages.”

“In so doing, the GOP will not only aid struggling workers from all backgrounds, but will recapture the trust and faith of millions of Americans who have turned away from the party,” he said. “Such clear and convicted action would also expose the influence special interests groups have wielded over the White House and Senate Democrats from day one. The House now stands alone as the last line of defense for millions of working Americans that form the backbone of the nation.”

He added that a “sound immigration plan will help both citizens and immigrants alike–reducing unemployment, promoting assimilation into the middle class, and ensuring the consistent and faithful application of the law upon which our national greatness depends.”