Amnesty

The Obama administration announced on Friday that young illegal immigrants who meet the following criteria would not be deported:

1) Came to the United States under the age of 16;

2) Have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years;

3) Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; (Ironically, a person cannot join and have an honorable discharge from the Coast Guard or Armed Services as an illegal immigrant)

4) Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;

5) Are not above the age of thirty.

This is yet another example of Executive Branch overreach. We have a legislative process that ensures representative governance by the consent of the American people. This action should be crafted into legislation, debated in committee and brought before the United States House of Representatives and U.S. Senate for vote, in accordance with the process in our Constitutional Republic.