Four Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee said Tuesday they are rejecting a district court judge’s “unprecedented invalidation” of President Barack Obama’s executives actions on immigration.

Mazie Hirono of Hawaii along with Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) filed an amicus brief — a “friend of the court” document — with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Texas v. United States.

The senators, according to Hirono’s office, are urging the court to overturn a lower court’s injunction blocking implementation of a Department of Homeland Security initiative “that offered relief from deportation to roughly 5 million undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, or who came to the United States as children.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono walks to the Capitol for a vote on Homeland Security funding.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

The latest action follows separate but similar legal briefs filed Monday by most House Democrats (including Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai) and more than 70 city and county leaders (none from Hawaii).

In a joint statement, the four senators said:

“President Obama’s executive action on immigration was well within his legal authority and was a step towards reforming our broken immigration system. The Senate has an interest in ensuring that when Congress gives the Executive Branch the authority and responsibility to execute America’s immigration laws in a humane and thoughtful manner, the federal courts respect Congress’s decision. The brief we have filed today makes that clear.”

The senators said that it would be a “disaster” if the lower court’s decision is upheld.

Hirono, the first Japanese immigrant to serve in the Senate, has long focused on immigration issues in her congressional career.