Rand Paul pushes against Obama’s immigration executive action

The bill, called “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act,” points out that Obama has said at least 22 times before that he cannot ignore existing immigration law, nor can he create his own.

“I believe that the Constitution is clear that the legislative power resides in Congress. The President is not a king and he does not have the power to enact laws then execute his own laws. Our Constitution is being violated by this executive order and other actions by the Obama Administration to govern by executive fiat,” the Kentucky Republican said in a statement Friday.

“President Obama’s grant of deferred action […] is without any constitution or statutory basis,” the bill says.

Obama announced in November — after months of hinting he would do so — an executive action that would protect up to five million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

In his prime-time speech announcing the major immigration system overhaul, Obama made sure to point out that his actions were lawful.

Paul disputes Obama’s claim.

“His actions blatantly ignore the separations of powers and the principles our country was founded on. I will not sit idly by and let the president bypass Congress and our Constitution,” he said after the speech.

Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., also sponsored a companion bill in the House that passed by a vote of 219-197 on Dec. 4.