The prospective field of GOP presidential hopefuls has found one thing they agree on: President Barack Obama is wrong to take executive action on immigration.
Each of the potential 2016 frontrunners have made statements condemning the president's plans, characterizing it as an act of executive overreach, but they vary in their ideas about how the issue should be dealt with,
Politico reported.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose wife, Columba, is from Mexico, described Obama's announcement as "divisive and manipulative" and said it "undermines all efforts to forge a permanent solution to this crisis."
In a Facebook post, he also called on the Republican Congress to step up to achieve "meaningful reforms for our citizens and our future," through a bipartisan comprehensive reform effort.
"It is time for Republican leaders in Congress to act," Bush said.
Texas Sen.
Ted Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, has been one of the most vocal opponents to executive action, at one point accusing Obama of acting imperially.
He has said the Senate should turn up the heat on the president by blocking many of his presidential nominees and also use the "power of the purse" to undermine the executive action.
Before the announcement, Cruz launched a website, StopObamasAmnesty.com, which links to his campaign website.
"His actions are not only unconstitutional and in defiance of the American people who said they did not want amnesty in the 2014 elections, but they are also unfair to every immigrant who has come to our nation legally," he said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Texas
Gov. Rick Perry, who made headlines when he called in the National Guard to deal with the surge of illegal immigrants over the Texas border earlier this year, suggested that Texas may sue Obama over his policy.
He said in a statement that the "president's decision tonight will lead to more illegal immigration, not less … It is time for the president and Congress to secure our border, followed by meaningful reforms," Politico reported.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul both believe a lawsuit would be the best way forward.
"I think the Supreme Court would strike it down," Paul said on Fox News this week, according to Politico. "That takes awhile, but that may be the only recourse short of a new president."
Though Paul opposed the Senate's effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform last year, he has since said he would support some version of reform.
"I believe that immigration reform is needed, however for true and effective reform, we must first secure the border," he said in a statement on Thursday, according to Politico. "I will not sit idly by and let the president bypass Congress and our Constitution."
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who was instrumental in forging the Senate immigration reform bill, said he supports a step-by-step approach.
"[The] right way to do it is to first bring illegal immigration under control by securing the borders and enforcing the laws, then modernizing our legal immigration system," he said in a statement Thursday, according to Politico.
"After we do these things, we will eventually have to deal with those here illegally in a reasonable but responsible way. The president's actions now make all of this harder."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who signed a version of the DREAM Act in his state, has been notably silent on the issue and avoided answering questions about it at the Republican Governors Association meeting this week, Politico reported.
The reactions of the potential 2016 presidential candidates added to t
he chorus of Republicans who have condemned the president's plans.