Obama announces Central American children program, but Goodlatte calls it ‘self-made border crisis’
June 20, 2014 | 04:15 PM
President Barack Obama today announced a program to deal with unaccompanied Central American children who are showing up at the U.S. border, but House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., called the plan “nothing but smoke and mirrors,” and said Obama had caused the problem to occur.
“We also are taking steps to improve enforcement and partnering with our Central American counterparts in three key areas: combating gang violence and strengthening citizen security, spurring economic development, and improving capacity to receive and reintegrate returned families and children,” Obama said in a news release.
Administration officials have said that the cause of the migration is violence in the Central America countries, and Obama noted that Vice President Joe Biden is traveling to Guatemala to meet with regional leaders and discuss “our work together with the countries of Central America, and to discuss our efforts to help address the underlying security and economic issues that cause migration.”
"President Obama's plan to deal with the crisis at the border created by his administration’s bad immigration policies is nothing but smoke and mirrors,” Goodlatte said in a news release.
“Many of the children, teenagers, and adults arriving at the border are able to game our asylum and immigration laws because the Obama administration has severely weakened them and many thousands have already been released into the interior of the United States,” Goodlatte said. “What does President Obama plan to do with those who have already been released from custody?”
“If President Obama really wants to fix this problem, he should implement real solutions, such as enforcing our immigration laws, reversing his policies that created this mess in the first place, and proposing urgently needed legislative fixes,” Goodlatte added.
“But unfortunately, he is using deceptive tactics to make it appear that he is doing something when he actually isn’t.”
▪ White House Fact Sheet: Unaccompanied Children from Central America
“We also are taking steps to improve enforcement and partnering with our Central American counterparts in three key areas: combating gang violence and strengthening citizen security, spurring economic development, and improving capacity to receive and reintegrate returned families and children,” Obama said in a news release.
Administration officials have said that the cause of the migration is violence in the Central America countries, and Obama noted that Vice President Joe Biden is traveling to Guatemala to meet with regional leaders and discuss “our work together with the countries of Central America, and to discuss our efforts to help address the underlying security and economic issues that cause migration.”
"President Obama's plan to deal with the crisis at the border created by his administration’s bad immigration policies is nothing but smoke and mirrors,” Goodlatte said in a news release.
“Many of the children, teenagers, and adults arriving at the border are able to game our asylum and immigration laws because the Obama administration has severely weakened them and many thousands have already been released into the interior of the United States,” Goodlatte said. “What does President Obama plan to do with those who have already been released from custody?”
“If President Obama really wants to fix this problem, he should implement real solutions, such as enforcing our immigration laws, reversing his policies that created this mess in the first place, and proposing urgently needed legislative fixes,” Goodlatte added.
“But unfortunately, he is using deceptive tactics to make it appear that he is doing something when he actually isn’t.”
▪ White House Fact Sheet: Unaccompanied Children from Central America
