Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt announced prior to President Obama’s speech, in which he said that he will grant legal status to immigrants in the country illegally, that the state will bring forward legal action. Pruitt released the following statement:
It is anticipated tonight’s speech will again prove our President sees himself as above the law. Regardless of what the President thinks the law ought to be, our constitution dictates that Congress makes the law, it is the Presidents duty to faithfully execute those laws. If the President takes an executive action that violates his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the immigration laws passed by Congress, we will take action to hold him accountable.
Following the president’s speech, Texas’s attorney general and governor-elect Greg Abbott vowed to do the same.
President Obama has circumvented Congress and deliberately bypassed thew ill of the American people, eroding the very foundation of our nation’s Constitution and bestowing a legacy of lawlessness. Texans have witnessed firsthand the costs and consequences caused by President Obama’s dictatorial immigration policy and now we must work together toward a solution in fixing our broken immigration system. Following tonight’s pronouncement, I am prepared to immediately challenge President Obama in court, securing our state’s sovereignty and guaranteeing the rule of law as it is intended under the Constitution.