CAPAC Denounces House GOP Bill to Curb Executive Authority

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Judy Chu (CA-27) and CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair Mike Honda (CA-17) released the following statements denouncing the passage of H.R. 5759, the “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2014.” The bill would restrict President Obama or any future president from using their legal authority to set national deportation priorities and defer the removal of certain unlawfully present individuals. In turn, it would make it more difficult for immigrant families to stay together. H.R. 5759 passed in the House by a vote of 219-197-3.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“The House Republicans have had more than 500 days to vote on bipartisan immigration reform, which they know would pass if brought to the floor. But instead, we get only distractions, political attacks, and attempts to weaken an already broken immigration system. Today’s bill is only the latest attempt and actually sets back immigration reform efforts. The President’s legal and moral action will provide relief for so many immigrants, including countless Asians and Pacific Islanders. It promotes accountability—not amnesty—by requiring background checks, collecting taxes, and making clear what we already know: deporting hard working immigrants with roots in our communities should not be our priority. The President took limited action because the Republicans refused to take any. It’s time that they join the rest of us in working on a comprehensive bill to fix our broken immigration system.”

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus:

“Rep. Yoho’s purely symbolic immigration bill is another example of the Republican Party wasting time and resources simply because they don’t like the President. This bill attempts to block the President from exercising his legal authority to determine how our immigration laws are enforced. In doing so, it threatens to tear families apart. Instead of this bill, Speaker John Boehner should bring the House version of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform package that the Senate passed over a year ago to the floor for a vote. We know that we have the votes to pass that reform. We should be taking meaningful action to fix our broken immigration system, not play politics with the lives of real people and families.”

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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.