House Republicans have moved forward this week on a bill to hold President Obama accountable for overstepping the White House’s authority in his post-election executive order on immigration.
The House’s tact is being seen as largely symbolic but perhaps is a strategy to keep in line with campaign rhetoric while making room for the 17-state suit led by Texas this week which could take the driver’s seat on opposition to the executive order.
The suit’s member states joined together and announced the action in the press conference on Wednesday, reports The New York Times. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott declared that Obama is “abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce the laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do.”
Among the claims in the suit is the charge that the administration has failed to comply with federal requirements concerning the issuance of new regulations which, if the court agrees, could render the executive order moot. What’s more, the suit alleges that the order puts undo pressure financially and administratively on the various states in terms of compliance, a charge similar to what was leveled against Obamacare.
White House spokesman Shawn Turner replied to the announcement of the suit, “The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that federal officials can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws, and we are confident that the president’s executive actions are well within his legal authorities.”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who will be replaced in January by newly-elected governor Greg Abbott, declared in a separate press conference that Obama’s action puts a “neon sign on our border, assuring people they can ignore the law.”
