I don't know where U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R.-AL) got her information for her illegal immigration op-ed in the Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser, but I can guess.
Presidential executive orders affecting immigration have been issued by Republican and Democratic presidents for more than 60 years, beginning with Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 (administration of the Refugee Relief Act of 1953) and 1960 (creation of a Committee on Migratory Labor).
First, a split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is not a "final blow" to President Obama's executive orders on immigration. Deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), whose parents brought them into the United States illegally, stands and moves forward. Deferred action for parents of Americans (DAPA) was stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court's split means the Fifth Circuit's injunction stands and DAPA is halted. When a ninth justice is sworn in, the issue will be back.
President Obama did not "bypass Congress". He exercised his prosecutorial discretion to tell the Department of Homeland Security -- in the case of DAPA -- not to deport about 3.6 million eligible aliens and to focus its limited resources on getting rid of criminal aliens.
Most federal appellate courts have determined that states do not have standing to challenge executive orders. The U.S. Supreme Court was expected to vote that way with a full complement of nine justices, but the court is one short.
The fact is there are more deportations and fewer new illegal arrivals during the first seven years of the Obama Administration than during all eight years of the George W. Bush Administration.
Rep. Roby is right. Illegal immigration is a problem. But Congress is not going to do anything about it. You can count on it.
