With the White House appearing near to announcing a broad executive amnesty in the coming days, a spokesman for Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, warned of blowback.  

“If ‘Emperor Obama’ ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his Constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for Congressional action on this issue — and many others,” said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel.  

Steel has also noted the numerous times that President Barack Obama has said he doesn’t have the authority to stop deportations on his own without Congress. The White House has refused to detail the legal rationale for the president’s plans ahead of the announcement. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress authority over naturalization of people, though previous presidents have used prosecutorial discretion to grant amnesties to various immigrant groups without an act of Congress.  

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