The White House is wasting no time in effecting the amnesty Barack Obama promised to over five million illegal aliens in the U.S.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed Wednesday the discovery of a new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services facility intended to process applications.

“It has just been discovered today that the Obama administration is now opening a new USCIS facility in Crystal City, Virginia, for the purpose of immediately implementing the president’s imperial immigration decree. They are in the process of hiring 1,000 full-time staff to quickly approve applications for the president’s illegal amnesty, which will provide work permits, photo IDs, Social Security, and Medicare to illegal immigrants – all benefits rejected by Congress.”

Obama announced on Nov. 20 his intent to unilaterally halt deportations of millions of illegal aliens despite strong objections from many in Congress and widespread opposition from the American public.

“The real amnesty [is] leaving this broken system the way it is,” Obama said. “Mass amnesty would be unfair. Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character. What I’m describing is accountability – a common-sense, middle-ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up.”

Obama also challenged Congress on the legality of his actions.

“The actions I’m taking are not only lawful, they’re the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican president and every Democratic president for the past half-century. And to those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.”

Obama’s executive order – not yet signed – is expected to allow upwards of five million illegal aliens to avoid deportation and be able to work in the U.S. It also reportedly will provide a $3,000 incentive to employers for hiring the newly “legalized” residents.

“This action will mean that American workers, their sons, their daughters, their parents, will now have to compete directly for jobs, wages, and benefits with millions of illegal immigrants,” Sessions said.

“This facility is a clear symbol of the president’s defiance of the American people, their laws and their Constitution. He is hiring federal employees to carry out a directive that violates the laws Congress has passed in order to foist on the nation laws Congress has repeatedly refused to pass.”

Today, 17 states joined together in a lawsuit to challenge Obama’s executive action on immigration, reported National Review.

“The president is abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do — something the president himself has previously admitted,” Texas Attorney General and Governor-elect Greg Abbott said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The 16 other state are Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Oklahoma’s attorney general said he expects to file suit in the coming weeks.

The lawsuit charges the president with violating the Constitution’s “Take Care” clause and failing to follow the Administrative Procedure Act’s guidelines for implementing new policies, including a mandated comment period.

“Some have suggested that implementing this amnesty would not have a financial cost, but this action unmistakably demonstrates otherwise,” said Sessions. “Moreover, the USCIS employees themselves have made plain that taxpayers will be on the hook, warning through their union that the agency is an ‘approval machine’ that will ‘rubber stamp’ applications for amnesty.

“Year after year, our annual spending bills include numerous restrictions on how federal money can and cannot be spent. Congress funds programs that are worthy and does not fund programs it deems unworthy. The president cannot spend money unless the Congress approves it, and certainly the Congress should not approve funds for an illegal amnesty.

“The American people need a voice. Why were we elected, if not to serve the citizens who sent us here?”

Meanwhile, it is not certain the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate will be that voice. WND reported Wednesday concerns Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader-elect Mitch appear unwilling to risk alienating Latinos by going to war with Obama over amnesty.