TN group criticizes state's challenge to Obama's immigration orders


              President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Obama rang in 2014 by declaring a “year of action,” vowing to strengthen the nation by focusing on fairness, competitiveness and the power of American diplomacy. Since Congress seemed unwilling to help, the president said he’d act alone.  (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Obama rang in 2014 by declaring a “year of action,” vowing to strengthen the nation by focusing on fairness, competitiveness and the power of American diplomacy. Since Congress seemed unwilling to help, the president said he’d act alone. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
photo Herbert Slatery

NASHVILLE - An immigrant advocacy group says Tennessee took a "step backwards" when it joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coaltion (TIRRC) said it is "extremely disappointed" in state Attorney General Herbert Slatery's decision, charging it is "based on the false premise that protecting parents and children from deportation and allowing them to work legally will harm our state's economy."

According to the group, some 50,000 illegal immigrants living in Tennessee would benefit from Obama's actions, which affect people having lived in the U.S. for at least five years and who have children.

Slatery, a Republican appointed attorney general in September, announced Monday he was joining 24 other states in challenging Obama's actions.

"By joining this lawsuit, our state has taken a step backwards," said Stephanie Teatro, TIRRC's co-executive director in a news release.

She said that "instead of finding ways to harness the economic potential of immigrants, who through executive action will be able to work legally and will add millions of dollars to our state economy, our Attorney General has joined the ranks of anti-immigrant states like Alabama and Arizona under a frivolous, costly lawsuit to prevent the actions from being implemented."

In his own statement on Monday, Slatery said Tennessee "cannot sit on the sidelines of this case, when unlawful directives of this magnitude grant lawful presence and other rights such as work permits to such a large number."

Asking a court to review the issue "is the prudent choice, especially when state resources will be taxed under the directives to provide benefits such as unemployment compensation and health care," Slatery said.

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