Ken Paxton, Texas A.G.: It’s up to Congress to decide what to do about DACA

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that he wants Congress to decide what happens to children brought here illegally.

“We’re optimistic that something is going to happen that we can be happy with. We obviously have, with other states, threatened to sue if this is not rescinded. We’ve always believed that President Obama was operating outside it’s constitutional authority when he made up these new laws, and we’re just asking that if this his going to be done it be done the right way through Congress,” Mr. Paxton said on Fox News, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Mr. Paxton, along with nine other state attorneys general, threatened legal action against the Trump administration if the DACA program was not dealt with. DACA allows children brought to the U.S. illegally to stay. The policy is not actually law, however, and Mr. Paxton said that former President Barack Obama didn’t have the authority to put the policy into place.

“It’s really up to Congress to decide what the best policy is for these kids that are already here. It’s not something that should be done unilaterally,” he said. “This is on Congress, and that’s all we’re saying.”