{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141125205521/http://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-release/fitzpatrick-statement-obama-immigration-executive-order", "Fitzpatrick Statement on Obama Immigration Executive Order", "2014-11-20", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Michael Fitzpatrick", "F000451", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cI know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the [immigration] laws on my own\u2026 But that's not how -- that's not how our system works\u2026That\u2019s not how our democracy functions.\u00a0 That's not how our Constitution is written.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 President Barack Obama, July 25, 2011 \nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) released the following statement regarding the president\u2019s immigration executive action:\n I oppose across the board or blanket amnesty. Any immigration reform must begin with securing the border.\u00a0 To that end, I joined the House in August in passing legislation to do just that.\nThe President should not be going it alone - he should bring Americans together to solve this problem instead of dividing Americans even further. The president\u2019s unilateral and unconstitutional immigration executive orders dissolve trust in our elected government, and they hurt those playing by the rules and trying to earn their citizenship the right way.\nEarlier this year, I visited the southern border and saw firsthand the legal and humanitarian crisis caused by an administration refusing to execute the laws of our immigration system. The president\u2019s unlawful orders will drastically increase this problem.\nAs we learn the full scope of the president\u2019s actions, I expect Congress to address this in a fashion that is reasoned and responsible.\u00a0 People want a solution to our immigration challenges that is bipartisan, permanent and legal.\n \nPresident Obama\u2019s use of executive action to dramatically alter American immigration policy runs counter to Constitutional precedent \u2013 even among executive actions taken by previous presidents on the issue. During his campaign for the White House in 2008, and his first term in office, the president was adamant he could not, and should not, change immigration laws through executive order. His decision runs counter to that long held belief.\n###\nCongressman Mike Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania\u2019s 8th\u00a0district which includes all of Bucks County as well as a portion of Montgomery County. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20141125205521/http://fitzpatrick.house.gov/press-release/fitzpatrick-statement-obama-immigration-executive-order"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9721862152218819, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}