AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is pledging to challenge President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration in court.
Abbott, who is the Texas attorney general until he succeeds Gov. Rick Perry in January, issued his vow Thursday shortly after the president issued expansive executive actions to spare nearly 5 million people in the U.S. illegally from deportation.
In a statement, Abbott said, “President Obama has circumvented Congress and deliberately bypassed the will of the American people, eroding the very foundation of our nation’s constitution and bestowing a legacy of lawlessness.”
He concluded by saying that he was “prepared to immediately challenge President Obama in court, securing our state’s sovereignty and guaranteeing the rule of law as it was intended under the Constitution.”