Texas Attorney General Continues Fight Against Unlawful Immigration

The Texas Attorney General's Office asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a federal appeals court ruling to halt the president's unconstitutional executive action on immigration, said a press release Tuesday. In the brief in opposition to certiorari, Texas argued the executive branch exceeded its authority in unilaterally granting lawful presence to over 4 million illegal immigrants.

"President Obama's executive action immigration represents an unprecedented attempt to expand the power of the executive branch," stated Attorney General Ken Paxton. "The president alone does not have the authority to grant millions of illegal immigrants a host of benefits-- like Social Security and Medicare--which should be reserved for lawful citizens. Rewriting national immigration law requires the full and careful consideration of Congress, and Texas will continue to fight this affront to the rule of law."

According to the press release, Texas secured a victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on November 9, 2015 after Solicitor General Scott Keller delivered oral arguments in July. It was the third time a federal court ruled in favor of the Texas-led 26 state coalition.

In the brief filed on Tuesday, Texas cites the president's own words shortly after issuing the executive action in which he candidly admitted, "I just took an action to change the law." This action triggers numerous benefits for illegal immigrants, including driver's licenses, Social Security, Medicare, the Earned Income Tax Credit, unemployment insurance, and access to international travel.

The following states are joining Texas in this lawsuit: 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.

The brief can be viewed at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/files/epress/15-674_bio_State_of_Texas_et_al..pdf.