New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been difficult to pin down on immigration, finally took a firm stand this week against President Obama’s deportation amnesty, filing court papers arguing the president’s action was illegal.
Mr. Christie joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard in asking an appeals court Monday to uphold a lower court’s injunction and keep Mr. Obama’s amnesty from taking effect.
“The rule of law means nothing if it allows one president to unilaterally dispense with those statutes, unilaterally create a new immigration system, unilaterally create new employment and social welfare programs, and then claim that no plaintiff and no court can challenge his unilateralism,” the governors said in their brief.
Mr. Christie’s spokesman didn’t return a message sent Tuesday seeking comment on his position and on why New Jersey has not officially joined the lawsuit from 26 states suing to stop the program. Texas is leading that effort, and Louisiana and South Dakota are part of it, but New Jersey is not.
Last year, as Mr. Obama announced his plans to grant “deferred action” and work permits to millions of illegal immigrants, Mr. Christie waved off questions about it in several different venues.
Mr. Christie has struggled with the immigration issue, embracing a state policy allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates in New Jersey, but balking at granting them financial aid. That drew fire from both conservatives who said he was being too lenient, and from immigrant-rights groups who said he wasn’t going far enough.
Mr. Christie is pondering a run for the White House in 2016, as is Mr. Jindal.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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