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Leaders Reid, Pelosi, 223 Members of House And Senate File Brief To SCOTUS In Support Of Immigration Action

by Gabe Ortiz on

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Today, 225 members of the House and Senate, including Democratic leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, will file an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court in support of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

From Leaders Reid and Pelosi: 

“President Obama’s Immigration Executive Actions fall well within the legal and Constitutional precedents set by every Democratic and Republican president since Eisenhower,” said Leader Pelosi and Senator Reid.  “In fact, in the absence of Congressional action, Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush themselves took bold action to protect the spouses and children of people who received status under the IRCA of 1986.”

“Republicans’ breathtaking obstruction has perpetuated an utterly broken immigration system that tears families apart, dishonors our values as Americans, and fails to meet the needs of our country.  By and large, we are a nation of immigrants and the vast majority of families who would benefit from these programs include American citizens.  We should embrace their contributions,” continued Leader Pelosi and Senator Reid.  “We are confident the Supreme Court will recognize the legality and necessity of the President’s actions to help bring our immigration system back into line with the values and needs of our country.”

The President’s actions — the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — would protect up to five million undocumented immigrants with deep roots and ties to the United States from deportation.

But implementation of the President’s actions have been blocked by a partisan lawsuit from the Governors and Attorneys General from 26 states. The case, United States v. Texas, is currently scheduled to go before the Supreme Court for oral arguments on April 18.

“Citing the vast legal precedent that supports issuing rational enforcement practices like DAPA and expanded DACA, and outlining why the President’s actions fall within the Take Care clause of the Constitution, the members urge the Court to reverse the decision in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and vacate the preliminary injunction blocking the programs from being implemented,” noted a statement from the office of Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, one of the 39 Democrats in the Senate to join the brief.

The full text of the Amicus Brief is available here.

Leaders from the House and Senate, as well as many advocates, have been tweeting their support for President Obama’s actions on immigration throughout the day.