CBS DC: Ted Cruz: White House ‘Counterfeiting Immigration Documents’
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believes that the Obama administration is "counterfeiting immigration documents" under the president's immigration plan.
Speaking to Fox News following a federal judge's decision to temporarily halt President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, the potential Republican presidential contender said the commander in chief is ignoring federal law.
"One of the things it points out is the president has claimed, rather absurdly, that the basis of his authority is ‘prosecutorial discretion.' That he's simply choosing not to prosecute 4.5 million people here illegally," Cruz told Fox News. "But what the district court concluded, quite rightly, is they're doing far more than that. The administration is printing work authorizations. It is affirmatively acting in contravention of federal law. Basically, what its doing is counterfeiting immigration documents, because the work authorizations its printing are directly contrary to the text of federal law. It is dangerous when the president ignores federal law."
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision late Monday puts on hold Obama's orders that could spare from deportation as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.
In a memorandum accompanying his order, Hanen said the lawsuit should go forward and that the states would "suffer irreparable harm in this case" without a preliminary injunction.
