South Floridians, leaders react to Obama's immigration speech

President to use executive action to prioritize the deportation of 'felons, not families'

MIAMI – South Floridians, leaders and groups react to President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration.

Obama addressed the nation Thursday night. He is ordering the most sweeping overhaul of the immigration system in decades by unilaterally moving to shield five million undocumented immigrants and prioritizing the deportation of "felons, not families."

"We passed a comprehensive and bipartisan immigration bill by an overwhelming margin last year in the Senate, but you just can't get some of the reactionaries in the House of Representatives to move," said Sen. Bill Nelson. "So I think the president should have done this. He certainly has the legal authority. The bottom line is this: we need to act fairly toward our people and also to help keep the economy moving."

Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement Thursday night:

"As we approach Thanksgiving, I am pleased that President Obama has followed the precedent of prior Republican and Democratic presidents by announcing a re-prioritization of deportation policies," said Frankel. "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will now focus on the deportation of criminals and allow millions of hardworking undocumented immigrants to raise families, pay taxes, start businesses, contribute to their communities -- and live without constant, unrelenting fear of losing everything."

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) released the following statement Thursday:

"As President Obama has stated, 'I am president of the United States, not the emperor of the United States.' He further stated that acting unilaterally is 'ignoring the law in a way that I believe would be very difficult to defend legally.' Now, the president said he has the authority to stop deportations. It begs the question: Why did President Obama deport more than two million people, dividing families, when according to him, it could have been avoided?" said Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen.

"While we agree on the merits of some of the announced measures, the president's executive order makes it more difficult to pass a commonsense solution to our country's broken immigration system," said Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen. "We continue to believe that we must find a bipartisan, legislative solution to strengthen our borders, offer a permanent and humane solution to those living in the shadows, adhere to the rule of law, modernize our antiquated visa system, and bolster the economy. None of this is accomplished by the president's executive order."

"Shortly after this year's election, President Obama said he was willing to work together with the new Congress. He has now clearly demonstrated that he has no intention of doing so. His actions will unfortunately further divide our country," said Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen. "We are committed to finding a bipartisan, legislative solution that will unite a majority of Congress and the American people on this critical issue."

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21), of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Thursday night:

"The Senate passed historic and bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform well over a year ago, only to have Speaker John Boehner deny the bill an up-or-down vote in the House of Representatives. This unprecedented obstructionism has left us with a broken immigration system that tears apart families and hinders our economy.

"The commonsense steps announced tonight by President Obama fall within precedents established by previous presidents. While these bold actions will bolster border security and provide some temporary relief to millions of undocumented immigrants and their families, it is ultimately Congress that must finish the job.

"Republican leaders in the House now have a choice. They can preserve the broken status quo and assail the President for taking action, or they can put families ahead of politics and our economy ahead of partisanship and finally pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) made the following statement in response to Obama's proposed Immigration Accountability Executive Actions.

"Throughout American history, millions of people have immigrated to the United States in pursuit of the American dream and opportunities for a better life. They come to our shores, often fleeing from untenable circumstances, in the belief that, if they work hard, they can succeed in our great nation. However, our current immigration system is broken.

"The president, acting within his legal authority, has not taken this action lightly, but out of necessity. It has been nearly 30 years since our immigration system was last reformed. With an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the United States, something must be done to update these outdated policies.

"Over 500 days ago, the Senate attempted to address the ongoing crisis by passing bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. However, Republicans in the House of Representatives, increasingly pushed to the outermost fringes of their party, refused to even consider this legislation.

"While the president's action are a significant step forward, we must be sure to continue enforcing immigration laws that work and revise those laws that have not evolved to meet the realities of today. I support a system that prevents unlawful immigration, while promoting the legal immigration of those who seek to be responsible, productive citizens of the United States. That is why I am proud to cosponsor comprehensive immigration reform legislation in Congress, and will continue to urge House Leadership and our President to take action."

The Anti-Defamation League said Thursday it welcomed Obama's executive action on immigration.

Barry Curtiss-Lusher, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:

"America's failed immigration system has left immigrant families broken and put whole communities in crisis, plagued by uncertainty and fear.

"While the country watches and waits for Congress to reform our dated immigration system, we welcome President Obama's move to keep families together and to allow relief for some immigrants who pass background checks and pay taxes.

"By focusing enforcement efforts on those who threaten national security and public safety, and by bringing more undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and under the rule of law, this move is also a boost to both security and accountability.

"This executive action not only serves our common humanity, it is a step forward toward the more just and orderly immigration system we hope Congress will craft and pass. We hope the president and Congress will work together in a bipartisan spirit to enact reform that will fix the broader system.

"The president's executive action follows a 2012 measure to provide relief from deportation for immigrants brought to the United States as children, which ADL supported. The league has long advocated for fair and humane immigration policies and has helped expose the anti-immigrant bigotry and hatred that has been an undercurrent of the immigration debate in the past few years."