CÁRDENAS, DOZENS OF DEMOCRATS, FILE COURT DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING EXECUTIVE IMMIGRATION ACTION
(San Fernando Valley, Calif.) — Today, U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley), a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, joined more than 175 of his House colleagues in filing an amicus brief, supporting the Obama Administration’s appeal of the district court decision in Texas v. United States.
The brief was filed with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where an appeal has been filed of a district court injunction, which blocked implementation of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“Republicans in our House failed to act on the bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill passed by the Senate, so the President was forced to act,” said Cárdenas. “Our immigration system is broken, plain and simple. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows the only way to really fix the problem is a comprehensive upgrade. We can supercharge our economy and bring certainty to the lives of 11 million people and countless businesses, if Congress will just do their job. Until we’re willing to do that, I stand behind the President taking these actions.”
The Obama Administration’s Immigration Executive Actions enhance border security, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows, pay taxes, and pass a criminal background check.
The brief argues that House Democrats, as representatives of diverse communities across the United States, “have witnessed how an approach to enforcement of the immigration laws that does not focus on appropriate priorities, such as felons or national security threats, undermines confidence in the Nation’s immigration laws, wastes resources, and needlessly divides families.” These deferred action programs are vital for appropriately using limited enforcement resources, shoring up America’s economy and strengthening families.
Additional information, including the full text of the amicus brief, can be found here.
