Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson pleaded with Congress on Thursday to stop fighting President Obama’s amnesty and instead pass a straightforward spending bill to fund his department through the end of the fiscal year, without any “political” conditions.
A day after the House voted to cancel Mr. Obama’s 2012 amnesty for so-called Dreamers and his latest November amnesty for as many as 4 million more illegal immigrants, Mr. Johnson said those moves turn his department into a “political volleyball” and threatens its missions.
If Congress and the president fail to agree on funding before Feb. 27, the department would have to curtail some activities and couldn’t move ahead with new planned spending on upgrades to White House security or replacing technology on the border. All of the department’s law enforcement functions would continue, however.
“Recent world events — the terrorist attacks in Paris, Ottawa, Sydney and elsewhere, along with the public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on Western objectives — call for increased vigilance in homeland security,” Mr. Johnson said.
He has defended Mr. Obama’s executive actions to grant tentative legal status to illegal immigrants, which also entitles them to work permits allowing them to legally compete for jobs. Mr. Johnson says carving out a group of illegal immigrants he won’t deport makes it easier for him to go after those he wants to deport.
Republicans in Congress, though, say Mr. Johnson and Mr. Obama have overstepped their bounds in refusing to enforce immigration laws against most illegal immigrants. They attached language to the homeland security spending bill that would reverse the president’s policies.
They also attached provisions that would require Mr. Johnson to make convicted sex criminals a priority for deportation — something they said isn’t always happening right now.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.