Oklahoma AG Starts Laying Out the Legal Case Against Obama’s Executive Action: Of Course States Have Been Injured

States may be able to recoup monetary damages incurred as a result of President Obama’s executive action exempting millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation, says Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt. Ultimately, he aims for the courts to issue an injunction against the action, deeming it null.

“We believe that not only the state of Oklahoma, but states across the country have, in fact, been injured as a result of the president’s action,” he told National Review Online. As the impact of the order becomes clear, states will be able to determine its monetary effects on areas such as education, health-care, and public safety among others, he says.

Pruitt was unsure how long the courts would take to resolve the issue, but said that he expects to file the lawsuit in the coming weeks to get the effort underway. He said his office has been “evaluating intensely” since the president’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) memorandum in 2012, and is prepared to moved forward with legal action against him for overreach of his authority and breach of process.

“The thing about this is the president’s suggestions might be good ideas from a policy perspective, and some of them might not be good ideas, but that’s not the test here,” he said. “That’s not what the focus is for me, and for many that are looking at it — the question is whether the process being used by the president is appropriate.”

“The answer is it is brazenly political, in my estimation,” Pruitt added.

Prior to the president’s address on Thursday, Pruitt released a statement promising to bring legal action against him and his administration.