President Obama has vowed to fight “aggressively” against attempts by the Republican Party to block his executive action on immigration and has reiterated his commitment to ensuring that millions of undocumented immigrants receive work permits and protection from deportation.
In a Florida town hall meeting on Wednesday, the president said that undocumented immigrants should continue to get their applications for protection from deportation ready regardless of the plan currently being in limbo due to the ruling of Texas judge Andrew Hanen earlier this month in response to a lawsuit filed by 26 states. “This is just one federal judge,” Obama noted at Florida International University. “We have appealed it very aggressively. We’re going to be as aggressive as we can.”
Obama went on the offensive with the Republican Party, noting that its stubbornness over immigration reform is costing the party credibility and will likely cost it votes at the next election. He explained: “When they start asking for votes, the first question should be: ‘Are you really going to deport 11 million people? If not, what’s your plan?’” The president also declared that any attempts to block his executive action by forcing a DHS funding bill with such attachments through the Senate would be met by his personal veto.
“In the short term, if Mr [Mitch] McConnell, the leader of the Senate, and the speaker of the House, John Boehner, want to have votes over whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote,” Obama taunted. “I will veto that vote because I’m absolutely confident it’s the right thing to do.”