Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice again presented their arguments as to why President Obama's immigration measures should be implemented and asked that the federal judge's order that blocked their implementation in February of this year be lifted.
During the hearing before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Friday, July 10, attorneys for the government insisted that Obama acted in accordance with the law when he issued his executive actions on immigration and created the deferred action programs for immigrants who arrived as children and for parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents - known as DACA and DAPA.
ARGUMENTS
Lawyers for the Obama Administration argued that only the federal government, not the states, have jurisdiction over immigration policies.
"We understand that states feel the impact of federal immigration policy, particularly at the border....but that doesn't mean they can block it," Benjamin C. Mizer, one of the Justice Department's prosecutors told the panel of federal judges.
Scott Kellerthe Texas attorney general representing a coalition of 26 states that filed a lawsuit opposing the implementation of DAPA and the expansion of DACA, responded, "We are not trying to block federal statutes. Quite the contrary, we are trying to get the executive to abide by the laws of Congress.
Keller insisted that Texas would face numerous costs associated with the programs, including the cost of issuing driver's licenses.
You can listen to the oral arguments of both parties by clicking on the following link:
NEXT STEPS
The three judges, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Jerry Smith and Carolyn Dineen KingThe court will now analyze the arguments and merits of the case and issue its decision, which is expected to be within the next two months.
Since Judges Jennifer Walker Elrod and Jerry Smith on the panel previously ruled against lifting the temporary block to the implementation of DAPA and the expansion of DACA, all indications are that the ruling will again be negative and the case will end up being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
He spoke about the court case in an interview on Estrella TV's "En La Lucha" program:
