House of Representatives Further Politicizes Supreme Court Case on Immigration

WASHINGTON –The conservative-led House of Representatives upended regular order and pushed approval of a resolution authorizing the House to file an amicus brief opposing Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, United States v. Texas. The House voted 234-180, mostly along party lines, to approve the order, sidestepping typical House protocol for approval of amici briefs.

The vote, which even House Speaker Paul Ryan described as “a very extraordinary step,” underscores how conservatives are using every possible venue, including the courts, to pursue their partisan, anti-immigrant agenda, which tears apart families in our communities.

The politically driven lawsuit challenging the president’s executive authority to set priorities on immigration law enforcement was filed by conservative-led states. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on April 18.

“The House of Representatives once again proved that United States v. Texas isn’t about policy, but about politics,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “Their actions fail to take into account that a wide, diverse swath of our country wants the court to allow these common-sense immigration measures to take effect. Last week, more than 200 of their colleagues in Congress, along with law enforcement leaders, state attorneys general, and myriad others filed briefs in the case affirming that support.

“Elected officials who oppose the president’s actions have an appropriate avenue to make their views known to the court: They can sign their names to an amicus brief in support of Texas. This resolution is completely unnecessary and, simply put, another crass example of scoring cheap political points off immigrant families.

“In this case, the law is clear: The president has full authority to manage immigration enforcement priorities. Speaker Ryan has just joined Texas and others in trying to push through the courts what they have failed to do through appropriate policy channels.”

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