House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on President Obama’s Unilateral, Unconstitutional Immigration Actions

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 1:00 p.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on President Obama’s executive overreach on immigration. Although President Obama has stated over 20 times that he does not have the constitutional authority to change our immigration laws unilaterally, he recently proclaimed that five million unlawful immigrants will be able to stay and work in the United States without a vote of Congress. The Constitution clearly states that it’s Congress’ job to write our laws and the President’s duty to enforce them, and President Obama’s executive decrees have raised serious constitutional concerns.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the House Judiciary Committee will hear from the following legal scholars on the President’s unilateral actions:

· Mr. Ronald Rotunda, Joy & Dee Henley Chair and Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence, Fowler School of Law, Chapman University;

· Mr. Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice;

· Mr. Thomas Dupree, Jr., Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP; and

· Marielena Hincapie, Executive Director, National Immigration Law Center.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below in advance of Tuesday’s hearing.

Chairman Goodlatte: “It’s both perplexing and alarming that President Obama has decided to move forward with executive actions that he once said he didn’t have the constitutional power to take. The President’s decision to recklessly forge ahead with a plan to change our immigration laws on his own ignores the will of the American people and flouts the Constitution. These actions create an untold number of consequences; most significantly, they tilt the separation of powers in the President’s favor and imperil individual liberty.

“At tomorrow’s hearing, members of the House Judiciary Committee will examine the constitutional questions surrounding President Obama’s unilateral actions and will hear from several legal scholars on this unprecedented power grab.”

Tuesday’s hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.