Rep. Chu Defends Immigration Priorities at House Judiciary Task Force Hearing on Executive Authority

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Judiciary Committee’s Task Force On Executive Overreach held their first hearing on the Administration’s executive authority regarding actions on immigration and healthcare. The Task Force was established in January to examine the proper scope of executive power and its relationship to legislative authority. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), a member of the Judiciary Committee who also serves on the Task Force, questioned the witnesses at today’s hearing and released the following statement:

“This hearing offers the opportunity to reemphasize the need and historical precedent for the President’s executive actions on immigration. In my questioning today, I raised the example of Andrea, a young woman I met at an Immigration Action workshop I hosted in my district. Andrea was brought to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of two. She became the first in her family to attend college, and dreams of being a teacher. She is an exemplary immigrant, and should be able to continue her studies without fear of being deported or torn away from loved ones for a choice she never made. Fortunately, the DACA program recognizes that there is a difference between Andrea and a hardened criminal, and the Executive branch has always had the power – and responsibility – to prioritize one over the other. Instead of holding hearings meant to attack the President for acting within his authority, Congress should be focused instead on how we can support families with deep roots in our communities who are working to create a better future for themselves and their children. That is what the DACA and DAPA programs will do. They are legal, necessary, smart, and effective. I am confident that the Supreme Court will side with both me and President Obama and uphold these programs as legitimate and proper uses of executive action.”

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive orders that would defer deportation for approximately 4.7 million aspiring Americans living in the U.S. The largest initiatives included an expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the creation of a new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program. The implementation of both programs has been suspended until ongoing litigation is resolved. The Supreme Court agreed in January to hear oral arguments in U.S. v. Texas, a challenge to DACA and DAPA out of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.