Obama Administration to Suspend Deportation Deferrals After Ruling

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Obama Discusses His Immigration Plan At Visit To Las Vegas High School
President Barack Obama speaks about his executive action on U.S. immigration policy at Del Sol High School on Nov. 21, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nev.Ethan Miller—Getty Images
By Zeke J Miller

The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it will halt plans to begin implementing President Barack Obama’s plans to expand deferred action programs for millions of people living in the U.S. illegally, following a federal judge’s injunction late Monday.

Judge Andrew Hanen ruled that Texas has legal standing to challenge Obama’s executive action, which would provide work permits and other documents to millions here illegally, including the parents of citizens and lawful residents and those brought to the U.S. as children. He also issued an injunction preventing DHS from accepting applications for enrollment in the programs until the case, which includes 22 other states, is decided on the merits.

The White House said Tuesday it strongly opposed the decision, and the Department of Justice has promised to appeal. But in the interim, plans to begin accepting applications for the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program Wednesday are on hold, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. Additionally the department will hold of on accepting applications for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.

Photos: Documenting Immigration From Both Sides of the Border

Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
A woman and her child from Central America are apprehended just after crossing the Rio Grande, Hidalgo, Texas, June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Women and children from Central America are apprehended just after crossing the Rio Grande, Hidalgo, Texas, June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Border Patrol Agents respond to a call near a section of the border fence in Hidalgo, Texas on Feb. 13, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Border Patrol vehicles respond to a call on the banks of the Rio Grande in Hidalgo, Texas on June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
The old border fence where scouts watch for border patrol activity and aid drug or migrant traffickers in Tijuana, Mexico, Feb. 14, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
A border patrol vehicle on the remote terrain along the border in Southern California, east of San Diego, Feb. 15, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Border Patrol agents patrol the floodplain along the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Mission, Texas on Feb. 13, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Border Patrol agents patrol the thick brush along the banks of the Rio Grande south of Mission, Texas on Feb. 13, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Women and children from Central America are apprehended just after crossing the Rio Grande into Hidalgo, Texas on June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Women and children from Central America are apprehended just after crossing the Rio Grande into Hidalgo, Texas on June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
The belongings of women and children apprehended after crossing the Rio Grande into Texas, collected and bagged by Border Patrol, Hidalgo, Texas, June 24, 2014. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
Migrants run from a gap in the border fence to a waiting car in the early morning in Penitas, Texas, Feb. 14, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
An aerial of jeep trails in the United States (bottom), in an area that was once a popular crossing point into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico (top), Feb. 15, 2013. Kirsten Luce
Immigration Border Crossing Mexico Kirsten Luce
The westernmost edge of the border extends into the Pacific Ocean separating Tijuana, Mexico and California.Kirsten Luce

“I strongly disagree with Judge Hanen’s decision to temporarily enjoin implementation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA),” Johnson said in a statement. “The Department of Justice will appeal that temporary injunction; in the meantime, we recognize we must comply with it.”

“We fully expect to ultimately prevail in the courts, and we will be prepared to implement DAPA and expanded DACA once we do,” he added.

Hanen’s order does not affect the 2012 DACA program which provided deferred action for millions of people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Obama sought to expand that program to more arrivals. It also does not affect Johnson’s November order to the department to prioritize criminal and national security deportations, instead of those who would be covered by the DACA and DAPA programs.

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