Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted Friday that it would be a “huge mistake” for President Donald Trump to use “executive fiat” to create a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
“There is ZERO constitutional authority for a president to create a ‘road to citizenship’ by executive fiat,” Cruz tweeted. “It was unconstitutional when Obama issued executive amnesty, and it would be a HUGE mistake if Trump tries to illegally expand amnesty.”
There is ZERO constitutional authority for a President to create a “road to citizenship” by executive fiat.
It was unconstitutional when Obama issued executive amnesty, and it would be a HUGE mistake if Trump tries to illegally expand amnesty. #TellTheSwampNO #RuleOfLaw https://t.co/RLWuCgcNU6
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
“I’m going to be over the next few weeks signing an immigration bill … I’m going to do a big executive order. I have the power to do it as president, and I’m going to make DACA a part of it,” Trump told Telemundo’s José Díaz-Balart in a Friday interview.
“But we put it in,” Trump continued. “We’re probably going to be then taking it out. We’re working out the legal complexities right now. But I’m going to be signing a very major immigration bill as an executive order.”
Trump contended that the Supreme Court’s decision on DACA “has given me the power to do that.”
“One of the aspects of the bill is going to be DACA,” he said. “We’re going to have a road to citizenship.”
One of the major arguments against President Barack Obama’s creation of the program in the first place was his use of executive fiat instead of the legislative process. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson: America’s Elites Want ‘Immigration Without Limit’)
Others, including Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy, agreed with Cruz’s sentiment:
Correct. Having been part of litigating this for Texas, this would be an abandonment of the rule of law. https://t.co/n9gLwgYF8y
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 10, 2020
Again, @tedcruz taking the Constitutional, principled position against executive amnesty. https://t.co/Wke2zs3JEy
— Ron Nehring (@RonNehring) July 10, 2020
Trump’s getting all the wrong advice.
A road to citizenship for DACA people is going to lose him way more votes than he will gain.
This is an unmitigated disaster. https://t.co/ebHNdYTmcP
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) July 10, 2020
Former Obama appointee Eric Columbus knocked the president for conflating a “bill” with an “executive order,” contending that DACA was never meant to create a pathway for citizenship.
Cruz’s first sentence is exactly right — the President can’t create a path to citizenship. DACA didn’t purport to do so. Trump is very, very confused. https://t.co/1hWrXlRjP2
— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) July 10, 2020
