U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday that they will take up President Barack Obama's proposed immigration plan. The case has immediately caught fire as Republicans' claim on Obama's alleged abuse of presidential power ignites.
Obama's bid to resurrect the program, which was first undertaken in 2014 through executive action, has since been blocked by the Federal government together with the lower courts led by Texas and 25 other Republican-governed states.
To this, the White House said they were pleased by the court's decision to hear the case. The office has also expressed their confidence that the court would deem Obama's immigration action to be lawful.
The program in debate is aimed to shield more than four million people from deportation. It intends to allow millions of illegal immigrants who are the parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents to apply for a program that can spare them from deportation and provide them work permits. The program was called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA.
The court known to have twice rejected challenges to Obama's signature healthcare law gives the White House an unspoken assurance that the justices would rule out the president's actions constitutional.
To this, as reported by CNN, the coalition of 26 states led by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that the president is ignoring federal procedures for changing rules and his unilateral actions are pointing to his abuse of power which is deemed unconstitutional. He said that courts should have long recognized the limits to Obama's presidential authority.
"The court should affirm what President Obama said himself on more than 20 occasions: that he cannot unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the people's representatives," Paxton said.
Mr. Obama has reportedly been taking unilateral action during his seven years in office, as he have resorted to executive action to get around Congress on issues including gun control, gay rights, minimum wage, contraception, climate change, and health care, New York Times reports. This intensified the criticisms by his adversaries claiming how the president is abusing his power.
While the Republican and Democrats' views for the country continue to clash, this immigration law is expected to further the endless debate. As per NBC News, if the court gives favour to the law, President Obama is bound to immediately put the legal changes into effect during his final months in the office. However, if the administration loses, court battles would keep the program on limbo for years.
The Supreme Court will likely hear the case in April and issue a decision by late June.
