Georgia joined 16 other states Wednesday in filing suit against President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation.
The states are asking a federal district court in Texas to rule Obama’s plan unconstitutional.
“There is no question that immigration reform is needed,” Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, a Republican said in a prepared statement. “However, President Obama’s unconstitutional, short-term action only adds to uncertainty faced by those wishing to live in our country.”
The other states that have joined the suit are Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is leading the coalition of states.
“The president,” Abbott said in a prepared statement, “is abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do — something the president himself has previously admitted.
The White House defended the president's actions Wednesday, pointing to several letters legal scholars wrote in support of Obama's legal authority in this area.
“The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that federal officials can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws, and we are confident that the president’s executive actions are well within his legal authorities,” White House spokeswoman Katherine Vargas said in an email.
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