As Republicans raise the idea of a court challenge against President Barack Obama 's immigration action , White House spokesman Josh Earnest argued Friday that the President 's executive orders stand on solid legal ground . `` What the president announced last night is legally unassailable , '' he told CNN 's Chris Cuomo on `` New Day . '' The legal battle over Obama 's immigration plan . Obama announced his plans Thursday night to legally permit up to 5 million undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States temporarily , bypassing Congress after lawmakers failed to pass comprehensive reform . Earnest reiterated a point the White House has fervently tried to make in recent days , that previous presidents have used executive authority on the issue of immigration . But critics argue that Obama 's action amounts to overreach , saying his latest decision goes beyond what former presidents have done . Republican lawmakers vowed to aggressively pursue pushback against the new orders , with some proposing efforts to defund Obama 's plan through spending legislation , while others called for lawsuits . Republicans hammer legal case against Obama on immigration . Earnest , however , said that if the Republican-led House of Representatives would approve the Senate 's reform bill that was passed last year with bipartisan support , then `` the president would sign it right away . '' `` He 'd tear up his own executive actions , '' Earnest continued , before recapping a line Obama made in his speech Thursday night . `` The truth is the closest thing we have to amnesty right now is doing nothing and that 's exactly what House Republicans are doing , '' he said .
President Chris Cuomo announced his immigration plans on last night . Republican say the President 's actions are an overreach , and some say they 'll sue . the United States 's press secretary said recent days that the proposal is on solid legal footing .