California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has joined 15 attorneys general from New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Virginia, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, New Mexico, Iowa, Maine, Maryland and the District of Columbia, condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.
“As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump's unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith,” the group said in a joint statement.
The statement continued, “Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country and no president can change that truth.”
On Saturday, multiple federal courts ordered a stay of the administration’s executive order. “We applaud those decisions and will use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order and preserve our nation’s national security and core values,” the attorneys general said.
They added, “We are confident that the executive order will ultimately be struck down by the courts. In the meantime, we are committed to working to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created.”
Becerra was sworn in on Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown to succeed Kamala Harris, who was elected to represent California in the United States Senate.
After the order was signed, Becerra said it had to be “confronted as a constitutional overreach."
Becerra said he and his team are looking at “every avenue possible” to defend the U.S. permanent residents who may be impacted as well as to help refugees.
"Justice in America doesn't live or die on the stroke of one man's pen regardless of how high his office,” Becerra said.
California Attorney General Becerra joins 15 attorneys general in condemning Trump's immigration executive order
- Lake County News reports
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