Washington, DC – On news this afternoon that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied the Obama Administration a stay of a lower court ruling that blocks his Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (“DAPA”) executive action on immigration, Constitutional Accountability Center Appellate Counsel Brianne Gorod issued the following reaction: 

“The Fifth Circuit today plainly misunderstood both the President’s immigration initiative and the role of the President in enforcing immigration law. With its immigration action, the Obama Administration was simply doing what the executive branch does all the time—determining how best to enforce the nation’s laws.  

“Just three years ago, the Supreme Court recognized that a ‘principal feature of the removal system is the broad discretion exercised by immigration officials,’ including ‘whether it makes sense to pursue removal at all.’  When the Supreme Court takes up this issue, it should reaffirm that principle and recognize that the President’s immigration initiative is simply an exercise of that lawful discretion, and allow the program to be implemented immediately.”

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Additional Resources:

FAQ: The Challenge to President Obama’s Immigration Action: What’s Next? http://theusconstitution.org/sites/default/files/briefs/Immigration-Stay-FAQ-CAC.pdf

“President Obama’s executive order on immigration wasn’t an executive overreach,” Brianne Gorod, The New Republic, February 19, 2015: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121098/president-obamas-executive-order-immigration-wasnt-overreach 

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Constitutional Accountability Center (www.theusconstitution.org) is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history.

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