Goodlatte on Fifth Circuit Ruling: Another Victory for the Constitution and the American People

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit refused to lift the injunction against President Obama’s unilaterally created programs that shield millions of unlawful immigrants from removal and grant them affirmative benefits. “Today’s decision from the federal appeals court is another victory for the Constitution and the American people. President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration poses a clear and present danger to our Constitution and I am pleased that the President’s actions continue to be halted so that the states’ lawsuit can continue to move forward. “By acting unilaterally to rewrite our nation’s immigration laws, President Obama has disregarded the will of the American people and violated the Constitution. Such lawlessness must be stopped so that we preserve the separation of powers in the Constitution and protect individual liberty.” Earlier this month, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) – in conjunction with the American Center for Law and Justice – filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a continued injunction against President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration in the case of Texas v. United States. The amicus brief states that the President’s unilaterally created deferred action programs for unlawful immigrants are unconstitutional and are contrary to congressional intent. A total of 88 Representatives and 25 Senators signed the brief.