The U.S. Supreme Court failed to reach a precedential decision in the US v. Texas immigration case today. They deadlocked in a tie, sending the case back to the lower court. Following is a statement from Lynn Tramonte, Director of Ohio’s Voice:
Today’s tie is a harsh blow to thousands of Ohio immigrants who work hard and just want a chance to get their papers. This is not the end of the case. But it means that, for now, taxpaying immigrants with U.S. citizen children will continue to live in uncertainty.
This has always been a political case, and our Ohio representatives played a key role in the political gamesmanship.
Attorney General Mike DeWine signed our state on to this mean-spirited lawsuit initiated by the state of Texas. Governor John Kasich went along with this decision. Senator Rob Portman agreed, and did his part to leave the court without a tie-breaking vote.
Then-Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to bring immigration reform to a vote in the House after it passed the Senate–a move that would have made executive actions unnecessary.
At every turn, all we get from Republicans on immigration is pure politics, no solutions. They don’t care that real people’s lives are at stake.
The pro-immigrant movement has two next steps. One, we will continue to fight this case and call on the Obama Administration and the states to do everything possible to narrow the preliminary injunction issued by Judge Andrew Hanen. Hanen was hand-selected by Texas to hear this casebecause of his anti-immigrant bias, and he overstepped his authority in issuing a nationwide injunction. That needs to end.
We are also taking this fight to the ballot box. Republicans are attacking our families, friends, and neighbors. They are attacking people who only want to work and raise their families, and we’re not going to take it.
This is not over.
