The Texas Attorney General’s Office today defended an injunction stopping the Obama Administration’s unconstitutional executive amnesty program from taking effect. The Texas-led coalition of 26 states made its case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
“At the very core of our republic is the separation of powers, preventing the supremacy of one branch over another and balancing the bodies of government to the benefit of the people it serves,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “The executive branch is bound by our legal system and U.S. Constitution – it cannot simply create new laws unilaterally. The Obama Administration defied this foundational principle when it bypassed our elected leaders to re-write national immigration policy, granting federal and state benefits to law-breaking immigrants, and when it misled a federal judge over the premature implementation of executive amnesty. The rule of law matters, and we are confident in our arguments before the Fifth Circuit today as we continue to defend our citizens against President Obama’s unconstitutional amnesty plan.”
President Obama’s executive amnesty program would grant legal status to individuals who are unlawfully in this country, making them eligible for benefits under federal and state programs. These benefits include work permits, tax credits, Social Security, Medicare, driver’s licenses, unemployment insurance and the right to international travel. The states would also be compelled to fund additional education, health care and law enforcement costs regarding more than 4 million illegal immigrants.
On April 7, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas denied the Obama Administration’s request to overturn its February preliminary injunction, which temporarily halted the president’s illegal amnesty program. The judge also granted limited early discovery to investigate the defendants’ premature issuance of expanded work permits to more than 100,000 illegal immigrants, directly contradicting 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.