WASHINGTON, November 22 (Sputnik) — Congress could push back against US President Barack Obama taking executive action on immigration reform, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has told Sputnik.
"Congress has the power to push back against this activity and we have a duty, both because it's bad immigration policy, and it would set a precedent for too much executive power," Sessions said Friday, commenting on the Thursday night announcement by Obama of the executive action he will take to reform the US immigration system.
Obama has already "undermined enforcement [of immigration law] from the top" and his proposed action will further "weaken law enforcement", Sessions stressed.
Earlier on Friday, the Republican senator described Obama's executive action as executive amnesty, calling it "unconstitutional" and "un-American". He stated that the US Congress "will do everything it can do to stop it".
Republicans in Congress have proposed to withhold funds for Obama's executive action, or only authorizing short-term funding to the agencies responsible for carrying out Obama's policy. This proposal was criticized by White House spokesman Josh Earnest as an attempt to shut down the US government.
In his Thursday speech, Obama repeated his willingness to continue working with Congress to pass comprehensive legislation on immigration reform which will replace his executive action, which is aimed at allowing illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for over five years to register to stay in the country temporarily without being deported.
Sessions told Sputnik that as of Friday morning, the specific details of the president's planned actions, beyond what has been published by the White House, were not available for review.
