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"Congressman (Jeff) Flake and President Obama, advocates for amnesty," Wil Cardon alleged in one emailed statement, issued as part of his uphill battle for the GOP nomination to the Senate in Arizona. Andrew Wilder, a campaign spokesman for Flake, said the congressman "does not support giving amnesty to illegal immigrants, and he never has." Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, one of the party's more outspoken lawmakers in the immigration issue, has announced he intends to file suit challenging Obama's authority to bypass Congress and change the policy on his own. Also in the House, Rep. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz., has introduced legislation to block Obama from implementing his own policy. In some regards, his state serves as a microcosm of the broader debate inside the party. In addition to Kyl's comments, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters during the day he neither wanted to "repeal it or not repeal" what Obama announced. Like many other Republicans, McCain said Obama was now doing "something that he said he didn't have constitutional authority to do a year ago." Also like other members of his party, he said the president's announcement had complicated efforts to work out a comprehensive solution to a vexing problem. House Speaker John Boehner told reporters that because the economy is so weak, Obama has "turned to the politics of envy and division, which I don't think the American people are going to accept." Boehner said Obama's announcement "puts everyone in a difficult position," including young illegal immigrants who "from no fault of their own" are in the United States, as well as lawmakers seeking legislation to tackle more than just the problem of younger illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children. Democrats have applauded Obama's announcement, many of them adding that he acted after Republicans refused to permit a more wide-ranging immigration measure advance in Congress.
[Associated
Press;
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