FAIR Statement on the U.S. v. Texas SCOTUS Decision

This split decision upholds the rule of law and helps preserve the balance of power in the United States.

—Dan Stein, President of FAIR

(June 23, 2016 — Washington, D.C.) - The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), regarding today’s split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on the controversial Obama amnesty. The 4-4 decision allows to stand a federal court’s injunction barring implementation of President Obama’s executive actions that would grant de facto amnesty and work authorization to an estimated 4.7 million illegal aliens:

“This split decision upholds the rule of law and helps preserve the balance of power in the United States. It should stop the Obama lawless power grab. By ruling in favor of the federal court’s injunction, half of the nation’s Supreme Court Justices have shown that they have deep concerns about this president’s attempt at a power grab by his efforts to amend federal laws from the Oval Office.

“Clearly, the justices found sufficient reason to believe that President Obama has violated the ‘Take Care Clause of the Constitution, Art. II, §3.,’ that mandates the president take care that the nation’s laws be faithfully executed. It’s noteworthy that the president likely suspected that his attempt to rewrite immigration law through an executive amnesty would be ruled unconstitutional, which is why he admitted on 22 occasions prior to granting the amnesty that he lacked the power to do so.

“This case will now be sent back to U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen in Texas who will hear the case on its merits. In the meantime, Congress needs to step off the sidelines and reclaim its constitutional authority to set immigration policy. Specifically, it should immediately cut off any funding for this illegal action in the remaining states.”