Reid: Executive Amnesty About 'Fairness'

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama should move quickly on his executive amnesty because it is the fair thing to do for families that fear deportation. 

“First of all understand the fairness of it all. This will be a relief to many many families whose families are being torn apart by this broken system,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) explained to reporters, Tuesday speaking about President Obama’s expected executive amnesty.

Reid argued that currently the number one concern to ensure “government is funded and prevent another government shutdown” as Republicans consider using funding mechanisms as leverage against Obama’s expected actions. 

“It remains to be seen whether Republican leaders, both here in the Senate and in the House will stand up to their own caucus members who are threatening to shutdown the government if President Obama does this or does that. Namely the last 24 hours has been about immigration.”

According to Reid, immigration should not be a hindrance for Republican leaders to work with him to fund the government. He pointed to previous executive actions on immigration by previous presidents all the way back to former President Dwight Eisenhower

“Executive action is not a substitute for Congressional action,” he added. “I understand that. But he’s doing what he can within his authority and it will be up to Congress to finish this job.”

Reid took issue with arguments that the border needs to be secure before people are granted deportation relief saying if the Senate immigration bill were passed in the House the border would be “so secure.” 

“I believe that when the President decides to do his executive order he should go big, as big as he can. And there’s precedent for him going back to the Eisenhower administration to do something just like this,” the Nevada Democrat said. 

Reid — who recently spearheaded a letter with Senate Democrats encouraging Obama to move on executive amnesty — added that Obama’s action should not stop Congress from funding the government and noted that he told Obama Monday to do something “as quickly as he can.”