The Biden Administration unveiled the details of President Joe Biden’s executive action on Tuesday afternoon, offering a pathway to permanent residence for certain non-citizens without requiring congressional approval. This measure has drawn criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who believes it will encourage more illegal immigration.
“Just two weeks ago, the president pretended to crack down on the open-border catastrophe by engaging an election-year border charade. Now he’s trying to play both sides and is granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens,” said Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana.
Johnson further argued that Biden’s executive action undermines homeland security and serves as a political maneuver. “The president may think our homeland security is some kind of game that he can try to use for political points, but Americans know this amnesty plan will only incentivize more illegal immigration and endanger Americans,” he stated.
The executive action, detailed on the White House website, introduces a process for certain noncitizen spouses and children to apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the U.S. According to a White House fact sheet, this move aims to protect approximately 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens and around 50,000 noncitizen children under 21 with a parent married to a U.S. citizen.
Johnson accused the Biden administration of using this policy to convert illegal aliens into voters and claimed that it violates the Immigration and Naturalization Act. He predicted that the executive action would face legal challenges and likely be overturned in court.
“This action is proof-positive of the Democrats’ plan to turn illegal aliens into voters,” Johnson said. He emphasized that the policy not only disregards existing immigration laws but also jeopardizes the integrity of the immigration system.
The announcement follows Biden’s recent efforts to address border security issues, which Johnson dismissed as an “election-year border charade.” The contrast between these measures and the new amnesty plan, according to Johnson, reveals a contradictory approach that ultimately endangers U.S. citizens and undermines immigration laws.
As the debate over immigration policy continues, the legal and political ramifications of Biden’s executive action will be closely watched. The response from conservative lawmakers like Johnson highlights the ongoing partisan divide over how to address immigration and border security in the United States.