Lamar Smith: President's Immigration Speech Far From Reality

It is ironic that President Obama would travel so close to the border and still be so far from reality. It is clear President Obama is in full campaign mode, but his words do not match his record. He continues to ignore the facts.

The non-partisan Government Accountability Office has found that only 44% of the border is under the operational control of the Border Patrol, and only 15% is under actual control. Mr. President, 44% is a failing grade. And if 44% is the most secure the border has ever been, it’s time to get to work to improve the grade. The American people expect nothing less than an A+ on border security.

Our immigration system is broken because the Obama administration has refused to fully enforce the immigration laws already on the books. Under this Administration, worksite enforcement activities are down by 70%. With 26 million Americans unemployed or underemployed and seven million individuals working illegally in the U.S., we need to put jobs for Americans first.

The President is right that we are a nation of immigrants, but we are a nation of legal immigrants. And he is right that Washington needs to know that a movement is gathering, but this movement is comprised of the majority of Americans wanting to see our immigration laws enforced. Candidate Obama is back and along with him, a lot of misguided campaign promises. First it was Gitmo, then Obamacare and now the President is pushing for amnesty.

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