Mitch Perry
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s deadlocking on a case challenging President Obama’s executive orders on immigration, two advocacy groups announced Thursday they would target Republicans in Florida and two other states in a new digital ad.
Latino Victory Fund and Priorities USA say they will launch a five-figure digital ad buy “holding Republican politicians accountable for bringing on this politically motivated lawsuit, and refusing to do their constitutional duty and consider the President’s nomination to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.”
The Latino Victory Fund is the super PAC of the Latino Victory Project — a nonpartisan organization devoted to supporting Latino candidates and increasing turnout of Latino voters. Priorities USA is the leading super PAC backing presumptive Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton.
The U.S. Supreme Court failed to decide on the lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and other attorneys general that challenged President’s Obama executive action on immigration that would have shielded as many as five million undocumented immigrants from being deported. It’s being described as a major blow to his ambitions to achieve immigration reform, which stalled legislatively in 2013 when House Speaker John Boeher refused to bring a Senate bill up for a vote.
Obama’s executive action would have allowed five million unauthorized immigrants who are the parents of citizens or of lawful permanent residents to apply for a called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, that would have have shielded them from deportation orders. It also would have expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
A coalition of 26 states, led by Texas but joined by Florida, challenged the plan, accusing Obama of ignoring administrative procedures for changing rules and of abusing the power of his office by circumventing Congress.
Immigration activists were unhappy about the ruling.
“We are outraged, saddened and disappointed in the Supreme Court’s inability to come to a decision. But the fight isn’t over yet, this lawsuit was nothing but a partisan political attack against our families, and the outcome is a reflection of Senate Republicans’ refusal to do their constitutional duty and consider President Obama’s nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia,” said César J. Blanco, Latino Victory Fund interim director. “We will hold these Republican politicians accountable come November. The choice is ours, we must elect pro-immigrant candidates up and down the ballot, and elect Hillary Clinton as president — only she can, and will, protect our families and fight to ensure the well being and prosperity of our community and our loved ones.”
“DACA and DAPA would help millions of young people pursue their dreams,” said Justin Barasky, communications director for Priorities USA . “Today’s unfortunate news is why it’s so important to elect Hillary Clinton president so she can fight for immigrant families and ensure everyone has the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity.”
“Today’s ruling by our nation’s highest court left standing the position of Florida and the 25 other states challenging the President’s attempt to circumvent the separation of powers and act unilaterally to change the law,” Bondi said a statement. “The powers granted to the President are expressly written in the United States Constitution to guard against presidential overreach.”
