WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released a statement today after House Republicans approved a partisan resolution authorizing Speaker Paul Ryan to appear as amicus curiae on behalf of the House of Representatives in the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Texas concerning President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

In November 2014, President Obama announced Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. In February 2015, a federal district court in Texas issued an injunction against the executive orders, placing their implementation on hold and preventing them from helping millions of people.

“This Republican ploy to align the prestige of the House of Representatives behind a partisan lawsuit to stop DACA and DAPA is as shameful as it is deceitful,” Rep. Grijalva said. “While Speaker Ryan may have cobbled enough votes together for the motion to pass, the House is far from united behind this scheme. We must recognize that partisan efforts to undermine President Obama’s rightful authorities do more than harm this president’s ability to perform his duties – they chip away at the institution of the presidency itself. There is a good reason this vote is unprecedented: no Congress in history has shown this much lack of respect or foresight in their actions.

“The sad truth is we are harming our own friends, neighbors and loved ones by allowing families to be splintered apart. There is no place in a nation made great by immigrants for a political party that increasingly relies on nativist and racist sentiments to build its support. The vote cast today is proof to the American people that there is no real difference between the mindset of Republican legislators and the mindset of the Republican front runner right now.”

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