House Judiciary Committee staff have requested a briefing from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about the agency’s recent solicitation for millions of new immigrant IDs.
In a statement provided to Breitbart News, Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) expressed alarm that the Obama administration could already be moving forward with its plans to take unilateral action on immigration reform.
“It is alarming that the Obama Administration seems to be silently forging ahead with its plan to unilaterally grant millions of unlawful immigrants legal status and work authorization,” Goodlatte said. “Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have demanded that President Obama publicly reveal the recommendations he has received that would further dismantle our nation’s immigration laws.”
Breitbart News first reported Sunday that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a draft solicitation for vendors that can supply the materials necessary for millions of Permanent Residency Cards (PRC) and Employment Authorization Documentation (EAD) “to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements.”
The solicitation comes in the wake of President Obama’s announcement that he plans to take executive action on immigration after the midterm elections.
Obama has not let the details of his plans slip out, instead expressing his intent to take executive action on immigration but refusing to reveal those actions until after the midterm elections.
“However, President Obama has left Americans in the dark and has decided to keep his plans secret until after the midterm elections,” Goodlatte added. “House Judiciary Committee staff have demanded a briefing from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on their draft solicitation to get to the bottom of this troubling issue.”
Republicans Monday voiced outrage at the expected upcoming actions.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) said it is just one of a multitude of examples of why people are frustrated with their government.
“I see a heck of a lot of people [in my district], and the frustration with Washington is as deep as I’ve ever seen. I’ve been there 20 years and it’s as deep as I’ve ever seen,” Jones said in an interview with Breitbart News.
“For a president not to get serious about securing the border and start rewarding people for being here illegally is unacceptable to the American people, and I represent part of the American people in the 3rd District,” Jones added.
A spokesman for House Speaker Boehner used the same language, reacting to the solicitation.
“The Speaker has made perfectly clear to the president that it is unacceptable for him to unilaterally re-write immigration law on his own, and the Speaker will never support this type of action,” Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith told Breitbart.
USCIS has attempted to shrug off the implication that the solicitation has anything to do with Obama’s expected executive amnesty, telling Breitbart News the additional material for IDs could be needed for “any number of reasons.”