Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is warning government leaders: he will not cease until President Obama’s executive amnesty is defeated. “I have a message today for every leader in Congress, for every official in the White House and to President Obama: We are going to fight this illegal amnesty and we’re not going to stop,” Sessions said.
Sessions, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and sheriffs from around the country spoke to reporters Wednesday about not only the illegality of president Obama’s executive amnesty but also the damaging effect it would have on Americans’ employment and safety.
“We must stop and roll back this illegal executive order,” Vitter said. “It’s exactly the wrong policy because it is rewarding illegal crossings and when you reward something you’re going to get more of it not less of it. It’s exactly the wrong policy that is going to make this problem much worse.”
The lawmakers and the sheriffs argued that without border security the problem of illegal immigration permeates the country.
“When we can’t secure our borders, something interesting happens in our country: Every state becomes a border state and every town becomes a border town,” Blackburn said.
The lawmakers spoke surround by more than 15 sheriffs.
Several of the sheriffs relayed their own struggles with illegal immigration, specifically drug violence, as they railed against Obama’s executive orders.
Texas Sheriff’s Association President, Jackson County Sheriff Andy Louderback, recalled a four hour gun battle just on the other side of the border from McAllen, Texas. More than 50 people were killed.
“Every community is affected by the cartel violence in this country,” he said.
“We have to stand up for the rule of law,” Louderback said, adding he cannot support Obama’s amnesty.
“The sheriffs of this country stand united and unified against this type of illegal situation that is going on and we would ask everyone to stand behind us,” he added.
Arizona Sheriff’s Association President, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, wondered aloud how it became local sheriffs’ jobs to fight cartels. He spoke about the negative aspects of executive amnesty on law enforcement.
“Essentially 20 million illegals who are here in this country, if you think they’re going anywhere, think again. There is no action. So for you and I as American citizens, when it comes to law enforcement, the law applies to you and I yet when it comes to immigration there is no law because there are no consequences,” he said, going on to call on Congress to “stand up and stop the president from this executive amnesty.”
“Instead of putting illegals first and their rights, what about putting Americans and our rights and our security once, first?” Babeu added.
Frederick County Maryland Sheriff Chuck Jenkins recounted he is seeing the same kind of crime border-area sheriffs combat and described how the end of immigration detainers will result in more criminals out of jail.
“What this is going to do by all intents and purposes is to empty our jails in all of our communities and put these criminals back on the streets of America and they are going to harm our families, our children, our grandchildren,” Jenkins said.
“Every county eventually will become a border county so let’s do what we can do as constituents, encouraging senators and congressional leaders to fight back against the president, to push back and refute this illegal order,” he added.
National Sheriffs Association Committee on Immigration Co-Chair, Rockingham County North Carolina Sheriff Sam Page, predicted that the executive amnesty will result in yet another surge in illegal immigration.
“You’re going to see a surge, just like you saw this summer down in Texas,” he said. “You’re going to see more people coming into the United States because the message that our government, the leadership is pumping out to Central America and Mexico is this: if you come to America and you do not commit any more offenses you can stay, you won’t be deported.”
He went on to call on Congress to defund Obama’s executive amnesty.
The sheriffs appeared with the lawmakers on the Senate side of the Capitol, while over on the House side leaders looked to shore up support for a funding package that — much to the chagrin of many conservatives — fails to defund Obama’s executive amnesty.
As Jeff Sessions and the sheriffs left the news conference, a group of about a dozen people were waiting outside and swarmed the Alabama senator to thank him for his efforts to push back against amnesty.
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