Boehner ‘Caves’ On Amnesty, Conservatives Are Not Pleased

The House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that will fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the next nine months, effectively ending a potential standoff between House speaker John Boehner and the President over shutting down DHS unless Obama halted his plans to offer amnesty to several million illegal immigrants, Politico is reporting.

House Republicans, led by Boehner, had threatened to shut down DHS unless language in the funding bill included language that would block Obama’s amnesty plan. However, after a series of backroom deals failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion, Boehner went ahead and scheduled a vote for a DHS funding bill that lacked such language. The bill passed 257-167, with all 167 No votes coming from Republicans.

Obama’s amnesty plan would have retroactively given several million illegal immigrants, already in the country, amnesty for their crimes of crossing the border illegally, and related crimes such as working and driving without proper documentation, according to U.S. Immigration Amnesty. Republicans have fiercely opposed the move.

Boehner conceded that funding DHS was more important than fighting Executive Amnesty.

“With more active threats coming into the homeland, I don’t believe that’s an option. Imagine if, God forbid, another terrorist attack hits the United States.”

In fact, even as Boehner and his allies in the House were threatening to shut down Homeland Security, the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group, Al Shabaab, was threatening terrorist attacks at sites in the U.S. and Canada, including Minneapolis’ Mall of America, according to this Inquisitr report.

Representative Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), the vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, praised Boehner and Republicans for finally bringing DHS funding to a vote.

“After bringing our Homeland Security to the brink of a shutdown, I’m glad Republicans have finally realized the futility in refusing to protect the American people. Picking a fight with President Obama and jeopardizing the safety of American families was not only absurd, but it was downright dangerous.”

Many conservatives, however, are not happy with the move. In a scathing op-ed piece, Fox News writer Richard Manning accuses Boehner of caving on amnesty.

“Congress’ retreat into obscurity under Republican leadership has been rapid and pronounced, and the cave in on Executive Amnesty was inevitable the moment Republican leaders declared that any kind of government shutdown was unacceptable. Everything since then has been merely delaying the inevitable.”

Now that funding Obama’s amnesty plan is back on the table, Republicans are now looking to the courts to put an end to the plan — and in fact, they may find the courts on their side. Last month, a federal judge ruled that Obama did not have the Constitutional authority to halt the planned deportations of millions of illegal immigrants who would have been protected under his amnesty plan. The administration has appealed, but Republicans will continue to vehemently fight the plan at the judicial level.

Do you think Boehner was right to fund the DHS if it means Obama’s amnesty plan for illegal immigrants will go forward? Share your opinions in the comments below.

[Image courtesy of: Getty Images/Mark Wilson]