As Republicans persist with
their threat to let funding lapse for the Department of Homeland Security due to what they call President Obama’s “executive overreach” on immigration, more than 230 legal scholars, law enforcement authorities and elected officials say the president’s actions are both legally sound and historically consistent.
In a letter titled, "The President’s Commonsense Executive Actions on Immigration Are Lawful," the group directly refutes the notion that Obama exceeded his executive authority.
For the last half century, presidents of both parties have used their authority to set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws. That legal authority has been recognized by the Supreme Court, Congress, the Department of Justice, legal scholars, mayors, and top law enforcement officials from across the nation.
Signatories of
the letter include legal heavyweights like former acting Solicitor General under President Clinton, Walter Dillinger, and Harvard's Laurence Tribe, along with major organizations like the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Major Cities Chiefs Association.