Obama took questions about his stalled immigration executive actions at a town hall-style event at Florida International University, which claims to be first in the nation in awarding degrees to Hispanic students. It was televised on Spanish-language network Telemundo and MSNBC.
Obama told the audience that he would veto any move by Congressional Republicans to block his plans, announced in November, to offer work permits and lift the threat of deportation for as many as 4.7 million undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents, or were brought into the country illegally as children.
"They can have that vote. I will veto that vote," Obama said.
Congressional Republicans said he overstepped his powers, but Obama said the failure of Congress to reform outdated immigration laws left him with no choice but to take action.
But he said his actions were only temporary, and he told the audience that it was up to them to pressure Republicans to pass a bill to reform outdated immigration laws.
"If they start feeling enough pressure, that can make a difference," he said. "When they start asking for votes, the first question should be, do you really intend to deport 11 million people?"
Obama acknowledged that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, supports immigration reform.
But he said that he wished Bush would talk to Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner to help move things along.
Read the entire story by clicking on the following: Obama turns up heat on Republicans for stalled immigration reforms - Yahoo News
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