Hudson ‘outraged’ at president’s immigration option

* NY Times video – watch the entire speech
* USAToday.com: Full text of speech
* CNN: GOP hammers legal case against Obama on immigration
* News & Observer editorial: Obama made the right move

Staff report

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson said he was “outraged” by President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration announced Thursday night on network television.

He called the president’s plan, which would halt deportation efforts against nearly five million illegal immigrants if they meet certain requirements — such as paying taxes, having a particular skill set and passing a background check — an “irresponsible, ‘my way or no way’ approach.'”

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson This Week in Washington

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson

“By bypassing Congress, President Obama is disrespecting our constitution and ignoring the American people who demanded that leaders in Washington work together to solve the problems facing our nation,” Hudson said in a released statement. “Granting amnesty to those here illegally is an affront to American workers and the people who are trying to join our country legally.”

Expecting the verbal assault from Hudson and his Republican colleagues, Obama touched on the topic during his 15-minute speech.

“I know some of the critics of this action call it amnesty,” Obama said. “Well, it’s not. Amnesty is the immigration system we have today — millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules, while politicians use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time. That’s the real amnesty – leaving this broken system the way it is. Mass amnesty would be unfair. Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character. What I’m describing is accountability – a commonsense, middle ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up.”

Obama said he hopes his executive order will be a stopgap measure between now and whenever Congress passes a thorough immigration reform bill. Hudson, though, didn’t buy into Obama’s request for bipartisan cooperation.

“I recognize our immigration system is broken and in need of reform, but I cannot and will not support any type of immigration reform until we secure the border first,” Hudson said. “We need to pass permanent, meaningful reforms that address the root of the problem to stop the influx of illegal immigration. I will do everything in my power to block the administration’s illegal amnesty policies and remain committed to working with my colleagues to secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system.”

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