WASHINGTON. D.C. – Appearing this morning on C-SPAN’s Newsmakers, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) characterized the President’s decision to challenge the state of Arizona’s immigration law as “unacceptable” and a “misuse of the Supremacy Clause.”

“The Administration can’t have it both ways,” Issa, also a member of the House Judiciary Committees said.  “They can’t have e-verify, they can’t have these programs where they’re supposed to take criminals and pass them over to the federal government if they’re illegally in the country and then say, ‘but if you do it wholesale where it actually works, we’re going to come after you.’ That’s unacceptable and it’s certainly is a misuse of the Supremacy clause and I’m convinced that the Supreme Court will rule that way - that you can’t stop a state within its rights from asserting its sovereignty in support of federal law as long as they’re some state nexus which they’re clearly is.”

On Potential for Racial-Profiling Resulting from Arizona’s Immigration Law

“Never before have we challenged something because it might lead to something.  There’s nowhere in the Constitution that says a state is limited to what it absolutely won’t do and can be stopped for what it might do…but for the Justice Department to ignore real problems around the country and spend time going after a state who simply says we’re going to self-help consistent with existing federal programs that have been passed by Republican and Democratic Presidents – that’s pretty absurd.”

On Arizona Immigration Law

“The federal government if it has a right, has a responsibly, if they don’t meet that responsibility fully and the state attempts to assist them in meeting that responsibility, remember, Arizona is not incarcerating people for being illegally in the country, they’re offering them up to the federal government to take their responsibility…”

On Republican Agenda Moving Forward

“We’re figuring out how to get jobs going in America, get the government out of owning corporations distorting markets and that’s what we’re focused on.  We’re focused on jobs and the business of the people from a congressional standpoint.”

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