Goodlatte, Smith, Cornyn, Cruz File Brief Supporting Halt of President’s Unilateral Immigration Actions

Washington, D.C. – 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 – today filed an amicus brief with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the federal district court’s decision to halt President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration in Texas vs. the United States. In December, 26 states – led by the State of Texas – filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration, and Chairman Goodlatte, Congressman Smith, Senator Cornyn, and Senator Cruz signed an amicus brief submitted to the federal court in support of the states’ lawsuit. On February 17, 2015 a federal judge temporarily blocked President Obama’s unilateral immigration actions in order to give the lawsuit time to make its way through the judicial system. Since then, political appointees at the Justice Department have filed an appeal. Chairman Goodlatte, Congressman Smith, and Senator Cornyn issued the statements below after filing this brief in court. Chairman Goodlatte: “President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration poses a clear and present danger to our Constitution and it’s imperative that the President’s actions continue to be blocked so that the states’ lawsuit can move forward in the courts. President Obama stated himself over 20 times that he does not have the authority to change our immigration laws, yet he went ahead and did it anyway. Such an unprecedented power grab undermines the separation of powers in the Constitution and imperils individual liberty. We must do all that we can to stop President Obama’s lawlessness.” Congressman Smith: “Our Constitution gives the courts a crucial check on the powers of the executive branch. This lawsuit is a necessary response to the president’s unreasonable and unprecedented actions. This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats; it’s about respecting the rule of law. I stand firmly with the Texas-led, 26-state lawsuit and the Texas federal court that has put a temporary halt to the president’s executive amnesty orders. The president acted contrary to the Constitution and must be held accountable.” Senator Cornyn: “As I have said all along and a federal court affirmed, President Obama exceeded his authority when he went around Congress to unilaterally change our nation’s immigration laws. But since the Administration refuses to obey the court’s ruling, we will continue to fight to reverse the President's unconstitutional overreach and respect the rule of law.” Additional Background: On February 25, 2015, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration and heard from several constitutional scholars who agreed the President’s actions are unconstitutional. At the hearing, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt testified; Nevada is one of the 26 states that have challenged President Obama’s unilateral actions. Additionally, Chairman Goodlatte has outlined several consequences of President Obama’s unilateral actions on immigration, which can be found here.