TX applauds quashing of Obama order on immigration

The attorney general of Texas is praising Donald Trump for rescinding what he says was an unconstitutional immigration executive order issued by Barack Obama.

In early 2015, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led a 26-state coalition lawsuit against the 2014 Obama-era policy memo that created the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program. Former President Obama’s action was intended to grant five million illegal aliens in the U.S. “lawful presence” status and allow them to apply for work permits.

The suit filed by the states succeeded in putting DAPA on hold as the case worked its way through the courts. Last week, on June 15, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the issuance of a memo permanently rescinding DAPA. Paxton applauds the decision.

“The Trump administration now rescinded what we considered – and what I think the courts were going to say – was an illegal action by President Obama as it related to immigration,” the Texas AG tells OneNewsNow.

Paxton argues that DAPA clearly violated immigration statutes passed by Congress.

“These are people who knew exactly what they were doing,” he says of those who would have benefited from the program. “And so [it’s obviously a problem] for President Obama to basically violate immigration law and say I know the law says you can’t be here, but we’re going to allow four or five million of you to stay and we’re not going to pay attention to what Congress has passed and we’re going to do our own thing.

” … The Constitution doesn’t give the president that power,” Paxton emphasizes. “Only Congress has the power to change laws. So if we allow him to do it, the whole idea of having separation of powers – which our founders so much believed in – was going to be basically eviscerated.”

Paxton is disappointed, however, that the Trump administration allowed Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to remain in effect.

On a related issue, Paxton’s office today announced Texas has joined a ten-state coalition filing an amicus brief supporting the constitutionality of President Trump’s executive order on sanctuary cities. “[It is] fully constitutional and a large step toward public safety,” he states in a press release.