US President Barack Obama faces a federal lawsuit after 17 states filed a case in a federal court on Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of his executive actions on immigration.

Last month, President Obama issued an executive order extending protection to almost 4.1 million undocumented immigrants who are parents to American citizens who have permanent legal status from deportation. 

According to a New York Times report, the lawsuit is the first major challenge to the Obama initiative to address the problem of more than 10 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the US. The lawsuit was filed in a Brownsville federal court in Texas.

Greg Abbott, Texas' Attorney General, is spearheading the coalition challenging Obama's decision.  He claimed Obama had overstepped his remit of enforcing laws as approved by Congress.

"[Mr Obama is] abdicating his responsibility to faithfully enforce the laws that were duly enacted by Congress and attempting to rewrite immigration laws, which he has no authority to do," Abbott told the New York Times.

Abbott cited Article 2 Section 3 of the Constitution, which says that the president of the United States "shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed". 

Abbott's suit is not seeking damages but that Obama's decision be declared unconstitutional. The complaint argued that the White House failed to observe federal requirements and warned that new swathes of illegal cross-border activity might ensue following the executive action. It would also mean additional expenses on the part of federal governments to ensure citizen safety, education and health care provision, they argue.

An official from the White House told Fox News that they remain confident the President did not violate the Constitution and acted within legal boundaries.

Shawn Turner, White House spokesperson, told Fox News that both Congress and the US Supreme Court are clear about federal official prerogatives when it comes to immigration laws and how they can be enforced. The executive actions, Turner said, is well-within legally-recognised statutes.

Turner asserted that Obama has left it to the discretion of prosecutors to decide whether to grant deferred deportations to undocumented immigrants who are parents of American citizens with legal and permanent resident status.

On Wednesday, and right before Abbott filed the lawsuit, Obama said he was hopeful that both Democrats and Republicans could meet halfway to work on an immigration law that is comprehensive, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The other states that have joined Texas in the lawsuit include Alabama, Nebraska, South Dakota, Indiana, and Utah.