Senator Collins Leads Effort To Prevent DHS Funding Lapse, Stop President's Executive Overreach
WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Collins spoke on the Senate floor today in support of the bill she authored, the “Immigration Rule of Law Act,” and on the need to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She offered the bill as a compromise to end the impasse over funding for the Department which oversees our nation’s border protection and immigration agencies. The Senate voted 57 to 42 to proceed to Senator Collins’ bill, but under the Senate rules, 60 votes were required to proceed to debate. Earlier today the Senate approved a “clean” DHS funding bill as part of the compromise Senator Collins helped to craft. As the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and current Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Collins is keenly aware of the risks our country faces from those who would do us harm here at home.
The Immigration Rule of Law Act would prevent the extraordinarily broad immigration action issued by the President in November 2014 from going into effect — an action that a federal court also has blocked. Senator Collins has long called for, and supported, comprehensive immigration reform in our nation; however, the President’s November 2014 immigration executive action exceeds his constitutional authority. In her floor speech Senator Collins said, “The President’s overreach usurps the role of Congress and undermines our constitutional system of checks and balances. The failure of Congress to pass a law to the President’s liking cannot become an excuse for the President to infringe upon the powers of the legislative branch. The President knows that he lacks the authority to write the law, as he has said on 22 different occasions.”
The Senator’s bill would in no way alter or impede the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) program for so called “DREAMERS” – children who were brought to this country at a young age and meet certain criteria – that was announced by the President in 2012. The program would remain open to individuals who were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012; came to the U.S. before age 16; have lived in the U.S. continuously since June 15, 2007; are in school or have graduated or obtained a GED or have served honorably in the armed forces; and have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor or multiple misdemeanors and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security.
More specifically, Senator Collins’ Immigration Rule of Law Act includes three major provisions:
- It would bar the Administration from using funding to implement the 2014 immigration orders issued by the President last November, but would leave in place the much more limited 2012 order creating DACA;
- It would direct the Department of Homeland Security to give the highest enforcement priority to the deportation of foreign nationals in our country illegally who have been convicted of domestic violence, child abuse, exploitation or a sex crime; and
- It includes a Sense of Congress resolution that the executive branch should not act to give foreign nationals who are here illegally an edge in competing for jobs against American citizens or green card holders.
In January, the House of Representatives introduced a DHS funding bill that included provisions to block the President’s sweeping immigration action issued last November as well as earlier executive actions related to immigration. Senate Democrats refused to consider that proposal. Since then, Senator Collins has worked to find a compromise upon which both parties could agree. By separating the executive actions from the DHS funding bill, Senator Collins provided the opportunity to vote on a full-year funding bill that could garner the 60 votes necessary to be approved by the full Senate.
