President Obama Says Blame Republicans for Immigration Issues, Vows to Fix System Alone

By Angelica Leicht| Jun 30, 2014

In a surprising move, President Obama took to the airwaves Monday afternoon to address the stalled immigration reform movements, telling Republicans to drop the excuses, and that it's "their fault" that the nation is facing record numbers of undocumented youth from Central America.

In an unexpected press conference from the Rose Garden, President Obama was blunt with his words toward the Republicans in Congress, who have been thus far unagreeable to the changes to immigration that have made it past the Senate.

During the conference, Obama blamed, in part, House Speaker John Boehner, who told him last week that the chamber's GOP majority will continue blocking a vote on a Senate-passed immigration bill.

With the Republican inaction and the mounting pressure to address the stem of young, undocumented youth from Central America pouring across U.S. borders, President Obama is now vowing to act alone to address the issues, saying that he will "a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress."

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder will "identify additional actions my administration can take within my existing legal authorities, to do what Congress refuses to do and fix as much of our immigration system as we can," he continued.

Over 50,000 unaccompanied youth have traveled into the U.S. in 2014 alone, looking for asylum from mounting problems in Central American nations. The administration has labeled it a "humanitarian crisis," and have made efforts in recent weeks to stem the tide.

But without the help of Congress, it may prove a difficult task.

"The failure of House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our security, is bad for our economy, is bad for our future," Obama said. "America cannot wait forever for them to act."

Conservative Republicans refuse to agree with the reform, citing the pathway to legal status that is included with the Senate plan.

There is also the fear that a positive move toward immigration reform will secure the Latino vote for Democrats, a group whose is highly coveted for the 2014 election.

Boehner responded to the President's speech, saying that "it is sad and disappointing that, faced with this challenge, President Obama won't work with us, but is instead intent on going it alone with executive orders that can't and won't fix these problems."

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