Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today filed a supplemental brief defending an injunction secured by a Texas-led 26-state coalition halting the Obama Administration’s attempt to grant executive amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Oral arguments in the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will be held Friday in New Orleans.
“This lawsuit transcends national immigration policy – this is about a President who has recklessly acted outside of the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution, circumventing Congress to rewrite the law as he sees fit,” General Paxton said. “The Obama Administration’s unilateral action bestows a host of benefits, from entitlement programs to tax credits, to individuals who are actively breaking the law. And while the federal government has failed in its responsibility to enforce immigration law, it expects the States to fund additional driver’s license, education, health care and law enforcement costs regarding more than 4 million illegal immigrants. Every single American should be concerned with President Obama’s clear disregard for our system of checks and balances.”
On February 16, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction on the president’s executive amnesty program, preventing the program from taking effect. On April 7, the Court denied the Obama Administration’s request to overturn its injunction. The judge also granted limited early discovery regarding the defendants’ premature issuance of expanded work permits to more than 100,000 illegal immigrants, which was in direct contradiction to what was represented to the court and plaintiffs.
Texas leads a 26-state bipartisan coalition fighting the President’s attempt to unilaterally grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Joining Texas in the lawsuit are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.