The White House reacted quickly to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruling, which effectively allowed a legal block to the continuation of President Obama’s executive amnesty.
“We strongly disagree with the Fifth Circuit’s decision,” a senior Obama administration official told Breitbart News.
In a ruling issued late Monday, the court ruled that the lower court in Texas did not make a mistake by granting a temporary injunction on implementing the law while its legality was in front of the court.
But the Obama administration argues that a president has full authority to issue amnesty to illegal immigrants and even offer them work permits allowing them to stay in the country legally.
“The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that the federal government can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws,” the official said, calling the President’s actions “smart deferred action policies.”
Obama’s action to defer deportation for parents who had children in the United States excited amnesty activists, but the program was quickly halted as a result of a temporary injunction issued by Federal Judge Andrew Hanen.
The move was celebrated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who filed the lawsuit while serving as attorney general of Texas.
“The President’s job is to enforce the immigration laws, not rewrite them,” he said in a statement to Breitbart News. “President Obama should abandon his lawless executive amnesty program and start enforcing the law today.”
But an Obama official expressed frustration that the policy continued to be blocked in the courts.
“This lawsuit is preventing people who have been part of our communities for years from working on the books, contributing to our economy by paying taxes on that work, and being held accountable,” the official told Breitbart News.
The official said that the Department of Homeland Security would continue to review the decision as they planned a way forward.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.