Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday slammed President Joe Biden for his latest dubious power grab: creating amnesty for an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants.
The Fort Walton Beach Republican was reacting to Biden’s decree earlier this week, which announced that illegals married to American citizens would not be deported and would be provided work permits if they had lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years.
Biden’s “parole in place” program would also give those eligible three years to apply for permanent citizenship.
Read: Report: Another Young American Killed By Illegal Immigrants Who Were Released On The Border
“This has no constitutional footing,” Gaetz said in an interview with talk-radio host Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo.
He predicted the courts would pull the plug on Biden’s “lawless” and “extraconstitutional” scheme.
“No president has the ability, with the stroke of a pen, to grant citizenship. … That’s an act of Congress to decide and determine in accordance with our constitutional norms,” the Republican congressman continued.
Gaetz argued Biden cynically wants to appease both sides.
Read: Florida Sens. Scott And Rubio Rip Biden For ‘Election-Year Gimmick’ On The Border
On one hand, he’s trying to revive some Trump-era policies to slow the waves of illegals rushing across the border. On the other hand, he’s “virtue signaling” to leftists and the 10 million illegals who have entered on his watch that he is still soft on illegal immigration.
Gaetz also called for a mass deportation effort, such as has been proposed by former President Donald Trump. “We have to deport those people for the damage caused to our economy and our fellow Americans,” said Gaetz
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