President Obama triggered a political and legal firestorm on Friday when he ordered a rule change through the Department of Homeland Security that allows young illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. and legally obtain work permits. The policy was one the major components of the DREAM Act, which failed to clear Congress even under Democratic control. The easing of the rule is aimed at illegals who were brought to the U.S. before they turned 16 years old and are currently younger than 30. The president says it’s unfair to to punish those young people for decisions their parents made and those young adults are already contributing to society. Iowa Rep. Steve King isn’t buying any of that. The Republican lawmaker is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and says the greatest outrage in this move is Obama’s ignoring of the Constitution. King says the president can’t just create new laws through executive orders because he’s frustrated that his agenda can’t get through Congress. King adds that he’s ready to take the president to court for acting in a manner that is clearly reserved for the legislative branch. He has experience in this type of legal fight. As an Iowa state senator, King successfully sued then-Gov. Tom Vilsack over what King sees as the same type of executive branch power grab. The congressman says he isn’t concerned that what the president did may be similar to a reform plan being assembled by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio because the legislative process is where these things need to be hashed out. King says he will press the legal challenge to the president’s move regardless of what GOP leaders do.
