Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., believes former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was so beyond the scope of his powers that "even a part-time left-wing law professor" would agree with that assessment.

In a conversation with the editorial board of the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, Cotton said President Trump "was right as a matter of law to end the deferred action program."

"Even a part-time left-wing law professor would concede that President Obama lacked the authority to create that program," the senator said. "In fact, President Obama conceded that."

Calling the decision "prudent," Cotton said Trump gave Congress six months to act on DACA before it was rescinded "because he didn't want to see the rug pulled out from anyone."

"It ... puts the ball in Congress' court to take action," explained Cotton.

Wary of efforts to keep the program in place without serious modifications, the first-term Arkansas Republican described how DACA could become the "largest amnesty in the history of the United States" by creating an "entire new category of persons who are eligible for chain migration."

Cotton also expressed concerns that maintaining the program would "encourage more illegal immigration with children."

"Think about the tragedies that we would be encouraging," he said.

Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.