Rep. Johnson Joins 180 House Democrats in Filing Amicus Brief Supporting the Obama Administration's Immigration Executive Actions

Today, Rep. Johnson (GA-04) announced his support of efforts to ensure that America's immigration laws reflect American values by joining 180 House Democrats in filing an amicus brief in support of the Obama Administration's appeal in the Fifth Circuit case of Texas v. United States. The case has reached the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals following a federal district court ruling that granted a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The Obama Administration's Immigration Executive Actions are designed to restore sanity and accountability to our broken immigration system. The Executive Actions are commonsense steps that enhance border security, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows, pay taxes, and pass a criminal background check.

"For months and months, the Republican leadership in Congress has failed to fix our broken immigration system by passing comprehensive immigration reform," Rep. Johnson said. "Fortunately, the Obama Administration has acted -- following precedents established by every president since Eisenhower -- to focus on commonsense priorities in immigration enforcement, strengthen our economy, and ensure that our resources are not squandered. Now is the time to empower millions of hard-working, law-abiding families to remain together and contribute to our great country. I am proud to support these efforts and join my colleagues in ensuring the President has the tools needed to improve our economy and keep families together."

The brief argues that House Democrats, as representatives of diverse communities across the United States, "have witnessed how an approach to enforcement of the immigration laws that does not focus on appropriate priorities, such as felons or national security threats, undermines confidence in the Nation's immigration laws, wastes resources, and needlessly divides families." These deferred action programs are vital for appropriately using limited enforcement resources, shoring up America's economy and strengthening families.

On November 20, 2014, the Obama Administration announced plans to expand the DACA program and to create a new DAPA program to offer temporary protection from removal to the parents of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. On February 16, 2015, a federal district court in Texas preliminarily enjoined the implementation of those programs. The Administration is appealing that decision and has requested expedited consideration of the appeal. The Democratic Members' amicus curiae brief is in support of the government's appeal.

The Democratic Members' brief makes it clear that the district court's decision interferes not only with the Executive's authority granted by Congress, but also Congress's authority: "The ruling threatens the Executive's ability to enforce statutes, within resource constraints, in a manner that remains faithful to Congress's intent, and in turn threatens Congress's ability to enact effective legislation."

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