GOP immigration suicide mission

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.salon.com/2012/06/20/gop_immigration_suicide_mission/singleton/

Wednesday, Jun 20, 2012 09:07 AM CDT
GOP immigration suicide mission
Why are some Republican lawmakers pushing an unpopular and doomed measure to roll back Obama's new policy?
By Alex Seitz-Wald

While the official response to the Obama administration’s immigration announcement from the top rungs of the GOP has been largely muted or non-existent, there are some moves lower down within the party to undo the policy. This, despite the fact that a rollback has zero chance of success and looks like a major political loser — can they just not help themselves?

Rep. David Schweikert, a Republican from immigration-obsessed Arizona, introduced legislation Monday that would block enforcement of Obama’s new policy. “Last week, the president decided to grant amnesty and hand out work permits to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, while over 23 million Americans remain unemployed and the civilian participation rate is at a 30-year low,” Schweikert said.

There’s a similar bill from Rep. Ben Quayle, also from Arizona, which has the support of six other Republican lawmakers. Quayle’s “Prohibiting Back-door Amnesty Act” would also prohibit the implementation of the new policy. “President Obama and Secretary Napolitano’s decision to end the enforcement of many of our nation’s immigration laws is stunning in both its arrogance and shortsightedness,” Quayle said.

And yesterday, a group of 20 Republican senators led by Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to Obama questioning the legality of his immigration decision. “It is astonishing that your administration would grant work authorizations to illegal immigrants during this time of record unemployment,” they wrote.