A federal judge in Texas has issued an injunction temporarily blocking President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration that has drawn opposition from 26 states across the nation.
United States District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled late Monday night to block executive actions Obama took late last year to shield 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. In delaying the ruling, Hanen halted Obama’s executive action, ruling that the administration had failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act, which calls for the White House to afford a longer notification and comment period before taking action.
The White House said in a statement early Tuesday that Obama’s actions “are well within his legal authority” and that the Justice Department has indicated “indicated that it will appeal that decision”
The programs are deferred action programs for undocumented parents of Americans and lawful residents and expansions to the program protecting illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children — known as DAPA and DACA, respectively. Neither program had gone into effect.
The Texas-led coalition of states in the legal challenge are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.