Grassroots Groups Urge Obama Against End-Run Amnesty

Legalization by Wholesale Use of Administrative Powers Amounts to "Abuse of Power," Organizations Say in Letter to White House

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eighteen grassroots organizations representing millions of Americans today insisted that the Obama administration forego usage of narrow legal authorities as a means to legalize millions of illegal aliens.  

In a joint letter to the President, released at the National Press Club, the organizations said such usurpation by the executive branch would represent an "abuse of power" and "feed public cynicism."

Participants at today's news conference noted that several U.S. Senators have inquired into the administration's plans to employ "discretionary actions reserved for individual cases . . . [and] not intended to be used to confer a status or offer protection to large groups of illegal aliens."  Subsequently, a secret U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memo leaked, titled "Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform."

"The Obama administration's secret memo from USCIS amounts to a smoking gun," Colin Hanna, president of Let Freedom Ring, said.  "Then the New York Times broke the story that this administration has unilaterally declared de facto amnesty for certain illegal aliens.  This end-run amnesty is wholly unacceptable to the American people."

The organizations said they came together because they could not stand by silently while the Obama administration runs roughshod over the rule of law.  Manipulating what is meant as exceptional forms of relief, granted only rarely on a case-by-case basis, encroaches on "Congress' constitutional authority to legislate immigration policy," the letter said citing the Senators' correspondence.

"That unelected bureaucrats would even set forth this array of power-grabbing administrative de facto amnesty options demands the President's assurance," Roy Beck of NumbersUSA said.  "We know the President wants to give all illegal aliens an amnesty.  But as long as Congress refuses to give him the amnesty, the public deserves a promise from the President that his administration won't deprive Congress of its exclusive authority to set immigration policy."

Organizations signing the letter to the President include Let Freedom Ring; NumbersUSA; Eagle Forum; Family Research Council Action; Judicial Watch; Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.; Rightmarch.com; Tea Party WDC; ProEnglish; Minuteman Civil Defense Corp.; Minuteman Foundation; Maryland Center-Right Coalition; Eagle Forum of Alabama; American Values; Center for American Common Culture; National Tax Limitation Committee; Committee for Justice; and ConservativeHQ.com.

Contact:  Jim Edwards, (202) 293-4333

SOURCE Let Freedom Ring