Catalina Camia

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Texas and 16 other states filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging President Obama's order on immigration.

As congressional Republicans seek ways to block the president, a coalition led by Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott went the legal route to stop the Obama administration from protecting up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

"The president is abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do," said Abbott, a Republican, acting in his current capacity as Texas attorney general.

Obama has said he was forced to act because Congress failed to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told a House committee earlier this week that the Obama administration has "the legal authority to push forward these reforms."

White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said Wednesday that "Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that federal officials can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws, and we are confident that the president's executive actions are well within his legal authorities."

In remarks Wednesday to the Business Roundtable, Obama defended his immigration action as good for the economy and expressed his hope that Congress could still pass legislation. "I recognize that there's been some controversy about the executive actions that I've taken," he said, noting that his immigration steps "are incomplete" and "temporary."

"We could be doing a lot better if we actually get legislation done," Obama said.

Abbott said Obama's executive action "tramples" on the Constitution. Specifically, the lawsuit argues Obama is violating the Constitution's "take care clause" that limits the scope of presidential power and that the federal government is violating rule-making procedures.

Finally, Abbott and his allies argue Obama's immigration order "will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis" along the U.S.-Mexico border and that will require "increased state investment in law enforcement, health care and education."

Abbott is one of six newly elected or recently sworn-in governors who will meet with Obama at the White House on Friday. As Texas attorney general, Abbott has frequently challenged the Obama administration in court. The immigration lawsuit filed in a federal court in Texas is the 31st time Abbott has sued the federal government.

The states suing the Obama administration are Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Joe Arpaio, a frequent Obama critic and an Arizona sheriff, also has filed suit over Obama's immigration action.

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