Sacramento, California - As the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in United States v. Texas, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued the following statement in support of President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration:

“Few issues are more pressing than the presence of millions of undocumented families in our country,” said Governor Brown. “President Obama’s efforts should be validated, not undermined and California stands with him as he acts to take these immigrants out of the shadows.”

Last year, California filed a friend-of-the-court brief with more than a dozen other states, noting that these executive actions “will benefit millions of people and their families, as well as the states in which they reside.”

Since taking office, Governor Brown has signed the California Dream Act, which allows top students who are on the path to citizenship to apply for college financial aid; AB 60, which extends the legal right to drive on the state’s roadways to millions more Californians; and a number of other bills to enhance school, workplace and civil protections for California's hardworking immigrants. The Governor has also signed legislation to provide legal services to the unaccompanied minors arriving in California from Central America and extend health care coverage and other protections to undocumented children in the state. Earlier this year, Governor Brown appointed a director of immigrant integration to serve as the statewide lead for coordinating immigrant services and monitoring the implementation of immigration assistance programs.