Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) on Sunday challenged GOP lawmakers to “roll up your sleeves” and pass immigration reform before part of President Obama’s executive actions takes effect in six months.
“They have 180 days, starting January first, before the first person applies for a work permit under the president’s executive authority. What I’d say to them, roll up your sleeves,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Gutiérrez, a staunch supporter of Obama’s executive orders, said Democrats didn’t walk away from the negotiating table on immigration reform every time Republicans requested a different route like piecemeal legislation.
{mosads}On CBS, Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) said Republicans should punish the president for the executive orders.
“I think we should censure the president of the United States, I think it’s unfortunate that he did this, I think we need to lay out clearly why this is unlawful; I think we need to pass a funding bill that separates homeland security from that funding bill,” he said.
The Obama administration should also be required to go through a comment period like every other regulation, the Republican said.
“We can’t take the bait from the Democrats. We can’t say we’re not going to do immigration reform. We need to tell the American people what we’re for, and we need to show them the step-by-step approach that we have been doing in the House,” Labrador said.
He asked House GOP leaders two weeks ago, he added, to start passing immigration reform legislation.
Asked what leadership’s reaction was, Labrador declined to give any specifics.
“I think we’re going to start doing things,” he said. “As you know, I serve on the House Judiciary Committee and the Immigration subcommittee, and I think we’re going to pass legislation. But it’s not going to be the legislation that the president is asking for.”