Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that Nevada and Tennessee have joined a multi-state coalition opposing President Obama's proposal that would grant illegal immigrants amnesty.
“Texas is proud to lead a coalition that now includes a majority of the United States standing up against the President's rogue actions,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton. “The momentum against the President's lawlessness continues to build with Tennessee and Nevada joining the effort to protect our states from the economic and public safety implications of illegal amnesty. As President Obama himself has said numerous times, he lacks the authority to impose amnesty. His actions represent a blatant case of overreach and clear abuse of power.”
Paxton says joining Texas in the lawsuit are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange released the following statement upon the State of Nevada joining the lawsuit opposing President Obama's immigration executive action:
“Governor Sandoval and his ‘trainwreck' Attorney General, Adam Laxalt, have just sent a clear message to Nevada immigrants that appealing to the anti-immigrant, TEA Party wing of the Republican Party is more important to them than keeping families together. If Brian Sandoval and Adam Laxalt had their way, thousands of Nevadans could face deportation and countless families would be at risk of being torn apart. I urge Governor Sandoval to insist Attorney General Laxalt withdraw from this partisan, irresponsible, and mean-spirited lawsuit that is nothing more than a slap in the face to Nevada's immigrant community.”
President Obama's measures could make as many as 5 million people eligible for work permits, shielding them from deportation. But none would have a path to citizenship, and the actions could be reversed by a new president after Obama leaves office.
Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement after Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt announced that Nevada joined a lawsuit against President Obama's executive actions:
“This is embarrassing. No other state in the country will benefit more from President Obama's executive actions than Nevada. The irresponsible decision to join a lawsuit that will cause family separation is harmful to our communities.
“President Obama acted within his legal authority. Every president dating back to President Eisenhower has used his executive authority to make our immigration system more effective. There is no question we need a permanent solution to fix our broken system; I wish Republicans would focus their efforts on passing comprehensive legislation rather than baseless lawsuits that hurt Nevada families. ”
(The Associated Press also contributed to this report.)
