KTBS 02 17 2015 18 33 45 - U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe Discusses Border Security in Texarkana

Congressman John Ratcliffe was sworn into office last month. The Republican lawmaker represents the 4th Congressional District of Texas, which includes 18 counties in Northeast Texas. Ratcliffe says he's focused on the job he was sent to do for his more than 700,000 constituents. I don't want to get caught up in Washington speak, and it's important to know what people here locally and communities throughout Bowie County and across the 4th Congressional District really care about. A federal judge in South Texas recently placed a temporary block of President Obama's executive action on immigration. The president's order could shield several million illegal immigrants from deportation. Ratcliffe says it's the job of Congress to write laws. You know, the president overstepped the constitutional boundaries, and that's what we've been saying, my Republican colleagues up in Congress, for months now. It was nice to have a federal judge weigh in and say, yeah, you were right. House Republicans recently passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill, but it's contingent upon defunding Obama's executive immigration orders. In the Senate, Democrats have blocked the House funding bill three times, calling for a legislation that only addresses DHS funding. The president says he will veto the legislation if it reaches his desk. Meanwhile, Ratcliffe is taking a firm stance on the issue. Republicans will continue to make that a priority to see that our Homeland Security Department is funded, but we want to make sure that the money is being spent on American citizens. Julie Park, KTBS 3 News. The Obama administration says it's going to win this case on appeal. The Department of Homeland Security was to start taking applications from undocumented immigrants tomorrow, but they say they're going to comply with the judge's ruling. Meantime, Congress will continue to vote on the bill.