Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday issued a stern rebuke of President Obama’s executive action on immigration, urging the president “to work with Congress to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system” — but stopped short of supporting a federal ruling halting the president’s actions.
“Last year, the president overstepped his executive authority and, in turn, hurt the effort toward a commonsense immigration solution,” Bush said in a statement posted to Facebook. “That’s not leadership. The millions of families affected across the country deserve better.”
Bush, who has been gearing up for a likely bid for the presidency, issued the statement in light of a ruling by a federal judge in Texas in favor of a lawsuit against the president’s actions, brought by 26 states. The judge’s decision puts a temporary hold on the executive actions, which would prevent millions of undocumented immigrants from being deported.
Notably, Bush did not express his explicit support for the ruling. But his response was in line with past remarks he has made on the president’s actions, such as when Bush last year called them “ill-advised.”
Some Republicans have worried that Bush could be challenged in a Republican presidential primary by his nuanced, moderate views on immigration. Bush has long been supportive of broad immigration reform and last year called illegal immigration an “act of love” by foreigners hoping to reunite with family members.
