Texas’ congressional delegation reacts,

“The American people should thank Secretary Kelly for issuing two enforcement memorandums today that overturn the dangerous immigration policies of President Obama. Secretary Kelly’s actions return the Department of Homeland Security to its central mission. These actions prioritize the deportation of criminal immigrants, allocate resources to construct physical barriers along our southern border, and increase the number of immigration and border personnel to keep our communities safe from the scourge of illegal immigration.” — U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio “I think we are a nation of laws, and I think there needs to be respect for the law. As a federal prosecutor, you have to prioritize who you are looking at in terms of prosecution and deportations. I think this quite frankly is not a very large departure from the previous administration, because they were again prioritizing criminal aliens and in fact deported more than the Bush administration. I think you’re going to see more of an emphasis on this though, you’re going to see more of an incentive to get people, who are in this country, who are not acting in good faith, who are a danger to our public safety, out.” — U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin “The new, heartless mass deportation measures raise more questions than they answer, including how Trump will pay for the billions needed for new border guards, detention facilities, and the wall he threatens. Violent criminals should be removed, but Trump’s antifamily plan would put vulnerable children at risk and tear families apart. It is short-sighted, cruel, will hurt local law enforcement’s ability to fight crime and will certainly not make America great or safe. Instead, we should work together to fix our immigration system.” — U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin “The national security of the United States and its citizens is paramount to anything else. I firmly support a temporary travel ban on individuals from countries of concern — a designation given by the Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security. During this time we must ensure our vetting process is completely foolproof.” — U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin