The suit was filed Wednesday, according to a news release from Pence’s office.
In a letter to Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, Pence said the president’s decision to act without input from Congress circumvented the democratic process.
“While reasonable people can differ on ways to improve our nation’s broken immigration system, the President’s unilateral action was an unacceptable end run around the democratic process and joining other states in pursuing legal recourse to challenge this action is the right thing to do,” Pence said in the prepared statement.
He claimed the president’s actions limited perspective from other elected officials.
“I firmly believe that the president, by his own previous admissions, has overstepped his executive authority by circumventing Congress, thereby preventing Indiana’s elected representatives from participating in the debate on this important issue and eliminating the State of Indiana’s voice in the matter,” Pence said.
The suit was filed on behalf of the State of Texas and lists Indiana as one of the plaintiffs.
Obama announced on Nov. 20 his plans for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system, which would grant an estimated five million undocumented immigrants reprieve from ?deportation.
Under the action, ?immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years will be able to apply to stay without deportation.
The action also expands the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows children who entered the U.S. before 2010 to apply for relief.
The action was designed to help immigrants create businesses and receive jobs to maintain their visas and work permits, as well as foster educational opportunities for foreign students.
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