A group of Senate Republicans announced Monday they filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court against President Obama’s executive actions to allow about 4 million illegal immigrants to temporarily stay in the U.S.
The brief, which was led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., charges that Obama’s November 2014 executive actions on immigration were illegal because they infringe on “the constitutional principle of the separation of powers.”
“There is little doubt that [Obama] adopted the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program as part of an explicit effort to circumvent the legislative process,” the Republicans’ friend-of-the-court brief reads.
Of the 54 Republican senators, 43 endorsed the brief, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida. Senators notably missing from the brief include Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Joni Ernst of Iowa.
In November 2014, Obama offered temporary legal status to roughly 4 million illegal immigrants in the United States, preventing their deportation. After the announcement, the state of Texas sued — a case that has now made its way to the Supreme Court with the backing of more than two dozen other GOP-led states.
Oral arguments in the case are to be held April 18.
View the brief here.
