SC joins 17-state lawsuit on immigration order

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is joining 16 other states in a lawsuit contending President Barack Obama’s order on immigration overstepped the law and violated the Constitution.

Gov. Nikki Haley and Attorney General Alan Wilson said Wednesday at a Statehouse news conference the state is joining the coalition led by Texas.

Obama’s order two weeks ago was designed to spare as many as 5 million people living illegally in the country from deportation.

Wilson argued Obama violated the Constitutional clause that limits presidential power. Wilson said the suit isn’t about the administration’s immigration policy, but whether Obama followed the rule of law.

Haley told reporters at a Statehouse news conference that illegal immigration is costing the state money. She says the president’s actions will cause even more illegal immigration in the state.