Senator Collins' Statement On Federal District Court Ruling Against President Obama's November 2014 Executive Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement today after a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction against the President’s November 2014 immigration executive action

"It is no surprise that a federal court has temporarily blocked the immigration order issued by the President last November, which threatens to undermine the separation of powers doctrine in our Constitution. The President does not have the authority to make sweeping changes in our immigration laws by executive fiat, as he himself has said publicly more than 20 times.

"In keeping with this preliminary court ruling, I would urge my colleagues to pass the compromise that I proposed to resolve the impasse over the executive orders and the funding for the Department of Homeland Security. My proposal would fully fund the Department so that it can carry out its vital mission, would not affect the President's more targeted 2012 executive orders that apply to children who were brought to this country by their parents years ago (the 'dreamers'), but would halt implementation of the broad November executive order consistent with the federal court's ruling.

"The fact that there are now an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States is irrefutable evidence that our immigration and border security systems are badly broken. That's why I believe Congress should consider comprehensive immigration reform and why I supported the bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate in 2013. While I was disappointed that immigration reform legislation of some sort did not become law, its failure cannot serve as justification for the action taken by the President last November."