Texas Leads 26 States in Lawsuit Charging Obama’s Executive Order Regarding Immigration
Texas Governor-Elect, Greg Abbott announced that Texas has filed a lawsuit with the United States District Court, saying that President Obama’s executive order to allow over 4,000,000 illegal immigrants to remain in the United States is “unconstitutional.” Abbott stated that this action “directly violates the fundamental promise to the American people” by running afoul from the Constitution.
Although Obama is not the first president to execute orders regarding immigration reform, there is a difference in how it is being done. Former presidents Reagan and Bush also signed executive orders regarding immigration. However, with Reagan and Bush, Congress had previously passed laws on the matter. According to Abbott, President Obama has signed this order because Congress would not pass the law.
Apparently, since it is Texas (whose borders are the most frequented) residents feel the impact of immigration the most. This brings forth economic complications and concerns amongst Texans. Of course, it seems that this is also a political platform, and so naturally you have Republicans opposing Obama’s actions and Democrats supporting it. Thus, it should not be surprising that most of the states supporting the lawsuit are Southern and Midwestern. But as for President Obama’s decision to sign without the input of the American people, this I find concerning, not necessarily because of the issue at hand, but rather as to what type of precedence it could set.
America has always been a host to immigrants, and any who would boast that neither they nor their ancestors are immigrants are mistaken (unless of course, they are Native American by heritage). Are not the rest of us all descendents of immigrants? With this in mind, why shouldn’t we welcome immigrants who wish only the same chance we have had to live and work freely?
What will become of this lawsuit, I don’t know, but it seems that as lawsuits go, they’re usually lengthy and expensive. I guess I am wondering if that by the time the lawsuit finds its way through “due process” if Obama will even be our president anymore. It may be by that time, we have a new president in office and the focus of the American people will be elsewhere.
