MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and colleagues in a letter to Pres. Joe Biden objecting to his plan to grant amnesty to droves of illegal aliens.
On June 18, 2024, Biden unveiled a plan to offer a pathway to legal residency for roughly 500,000 illegal aliens residing in the U.S. His move to reward these illegal aliens comes during an unprecedented border crisis, with officials reporting more than 10 million encounters with illegal aliens at the border under the Biden administration.
“We write today to express our grave concerns regarding your proposal to offer amnesty to illegal aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States. This action directly contravenes the laws Congress has passed, and it will throw fuel on the fire of the ongoing border crisis,” the senators began.
“Your actions fly in the face of the clear reading of the law. Due to reckless policies, your Administration has encountered more illegal aliens at the southern border than the Obama administration and Trump administration combined,” they explained.
“Since Day One of your Administration, you have rolled back measures that would have secured our border, including the Remain in Mexico program, the asylum cooperative agreements, and the ICE enforcement priorities that prevent the deportation of most illegal immigrants. These actions and many others have invited the chaos that is present at the border and in communities across the country,” the lawmakers wrote.
“This week’s action doubles down on your Administration’s message to the world [that] America will not enforce the law at the southern border,” they added.
“We urge you to rescind this policy immediately and focus your efforts on securing our border against the cartels and adversaries who will welcome this chaos,” Kennedy and his colleagues concluded.
Background:
- In Sept. 2023, Kennedy joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing the Secure the Border Act, which would require the Biden administration to undertake several actions to gain control of the southern border.
- In Feb. 2024, Kennedy introduced the Empowering Immigration Courts Act to fine illegal aliens and other litigants who misbehave or flout court orders.
- In March 2024, Kennedy joined Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) in introducing the Laken Riley Act to require the Biden administration to detain illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses.
- In April 2024, Kennedy fought for a full and fair impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also signed the letter.
The full letter is available here.
