The U.S. Department of Justice today filed an emergency motion seeking a stay of a federal judge's ruling that temporarily blocked the start of President Obama's executive action, which would give immigration relief to approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants.
The motion was filed in Brownsville, Texas before Judge Andrew Hanen, outlining the reasons why the federal government wants the block to be lifted pending appeal.
Last week, Judge Hanen ruled that the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) could not go into effect.
The judge blocked the implementation of DAPA and the expansion of DACA, which was to have begun on February 18, pending a court hearing to determine the constitutionality of President Obama's proposed immigration relief.
In addition to the emergency motion, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal of Judge Hanen's decision with the U.S. Fifth Judicial Circuit Court in New Orleans.
Justice Department lawyers argue that suspending the immigration programs will cause "irreparable harm" to national security and to the people who will be affected by the changes.
They also assert that Judge Hanen's decision extended far beyond the jurisdiction of his court, as suspending the President's actions affects areas outside of the Southern District of Texas, where the lawsuit by 26 states opposing DAPA and DACA expansion originated.
If Hanen's ruling is stayed, the Obama Administration will be able to restart its plan to implement the executive action immigration relief announced by the President in November of last year.
This morning I was interviewed on Telemundo's "Un Nuevo Día", where I explained the emergency appeal process and answered questions from viewers.
Here is the video:
In the following video from the Colombian network NTN24, I explain the ruling by federal judge Andrew Hanen, who blocked the initiation of President Obama's executive action.
You can also watch a NY1 News television segment where I discuss the effect of Judge Hanen's order temporarily suspending the expansion of DACA and the implementation of DAPA:
