A controversial Arizona sheriff with a history of resisting enforcement of federal laws on immigration has filed a lawsuit to stop new policies announced by President Obama.

The suit filed Thursday in federal court by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio claims Obama acted outside his constitutional authority by not making changes through Congress.

Obama laid out his executive actions on this issue in a prime-time television address Thursday evening.

Arpaio's lawsuit asks the court to block these changes, including adding eligibility for work permits and deportation protection for an estimated 5 million immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. The sheriff said he went to court not only for himself but on behalf of all Americans.

"I am not seeking to myself enforce the immigration laws as this is the province of the federal government," Arpaio said in a statement. "Rather, I am seeking to have the president and the other defendants obey the U.S. Constitution."

In the suit, he says Obama was "hijacking" previous immigration regulation by changing key terms to "create a radically new and different regime of immigration law and regulation."

Arpaio's lawsuit was filed with the help of conservative activist and attorney Larry Klayman. Klayman founded the government watchdog group Judicial Watch in 1994 and left the group in 2003.

The announcement from the Obama administration stripped Arpaio's deputies of powers to make federal immigration arrests and filed lawsuits, citing racial profiling and other violations of civil rights. Arpaio said the lawsuit against his officers was a politically-motivated attack aimed to boost Obama's appeal among Latino voters.

Republicans in Congress have accused Obama in the past of exceeding his executive his authority by not going through the proper channels of Congress. In Thursday's speech, the president said his hand was forced after the lack of congressional action in fixing the broken immigration system.