WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Voters returned President Obama to office in yesterday's election, but there is no evidence that he has received a mandate from the American people to implement a massive amnesty for illegal aliens, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

The president's electoral victory was clearly aided by Latino voters in key battleground states. However, extensive polling indicates that support for the president among Latino voters was predicated on their belief that he was the candidate better suited to deal with jobs, the economy, education, and other bread and butter issues. Contrary to claims by advocacy groups, concerns about immigration policy rank far down the list of policy priorities for Latino voters.

"The American people have given President Obama a second administration, but they have done so in spite of his refusal to enforce many immigration laws and his support for mass amnesty for illegal aliens," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "It will be up to the new Congress to hold the president accountable and to work with him to implement policies that protect the interests of the American people."

By returning a Republican majority in the House, it is clear that voters are seeking bipartisan consensus to deal with critical issues. On immigration, American voters have sent a message that they want Congress to rein-in the president's excessive and unconstitutional exercise of executive power. Congress must reassert control over immigration policy and require the president to execute the laws as written, not as he would like them to be written. 

"President Obama promised that he would work on immigration reform during the first year of his new administration. Instead of another protracted and fruitless struggle over amnesty as the centerpiece of immigration legislation, he and Congress must enact and implement policies where there is strong public consensus," continued Stein.

"This election has been about jobs and the economy. The first item of immigration business must be passage and implementation of legislation requiring every employer to use the E-Verify system to make sure that American jobs are filled by legal U.S. workers. Doing so would help all Americans who are seeking jobs or an opportunity to move up the ladder. But, perhaps no group stands to gain more from enforcement of laws against illegal immigration and a more rational approach to legal immigration than struggling Latino families," Stein concluded.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)