The court’s 4-4 deadlock lets stand a lower court’s injunction against an Obama administration program that would have offered more than 4 million undocumented immigrants a chance to remain in the country without fear of deportation. The case now returns to the lower court in Texas that froze the action. It appears unlikely that the program will go into effect.
Obama told reporters the decision meant that he had “pushed to the limits” his executive powers on the issue and that the future of immigration policy would be up to voters electing the next president.
He slammed Republicans in Congress for not implementing comprehensive immigration reform during his time in office, as well as for their decision not to consider his nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland.
“They are allowing partisan politics to jeopardize something as fundamental as the impartiality and integrity of our judicial system,” Obama said. “Americans should not let that stand.”
He also used the decision to pivot to the 2016 presidential election, laying out the stark contrast between the immigration policies put forth by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
“Pretending we can deport 11 million people or build a wall without spending tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money is abetting what is really just factually incorrect,” Obama said. “It’s not going to work. It’s not good for this country.”
Article Appeared @http://abcnews.go.com/US/obama-calls-supreme-court-immigration-decision-disappointing/story?id=40075996