WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced that he will take administrative actions to address our nation’s broken immigration system in the face of continued Republican opposition in the House of Representatives. Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement:

“After 18 months of political stonewalling and 12 months of ignoring the bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill, I am glad to see the president is prepared to act where Congressional Republicans refuse,” said Rep. Grijalva. “There are many options available to the president, from extending deferred action to all deserving family members to allowing for prosecutorial discretion on deportations.”

President Obama has directed the Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General to move available and appropriate enforcement resources to the border. He also directed his team to identify additional actions and send him recommendations by the end of the summer.

“While the president’s announcement today is a welcome first step, the success of this effort will depend largely on what comes next,” Grijalva continued. “Sending more enforcement to our borders will do nothing for the men, women and children who are caught up in our broken system. Nor will it provide a humanitarian solution to the crisis of child refugees arriving from Central America. I look forward to the president’s next steps, and urge him to focus his efforts on protecting vulnerable families going forward.”

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