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U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, a city along
the border with Mexico, rejected a U.S. Justice Department
request to remove a ban on the plan he issued in February.
Twenty-six U.S. states filed a lawsuit alleging Obama had
exceeded his powers with executive orders that would let up to
4.7 million illegal immigrants stay in the country without
threat of deportation. Obama's orders bypassed Congress, which
has not been able to agree on immigration reform.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday
that the Obama Administration misled the court regarding early
implementation of expanded work permits to illegal immigrants.
At issue was a U.S. government filing that said some 100,000
people had been given three-year periods of deferred action
before the judge's injunction.
"Any premature implementation could have serious consequences,
inflicting irreparable harm on our state, and this ruling is key
in determining the extent to which the federal government did
not present the full truth in this case," Paxton said.
The Justice Department, which could not be immediately reached
for comment, requested an emergency stay of Hanen's decision on
Feb. 23. It has also filed a notice of appeal to the 5th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, court documents show.
That court on Tuesday rejected a challenge to Obama's 2012
executive action granting deportation relief to immigrants
brought to the U.S. illegally as children, upholding a lower
court's earlier ruling.
The White House did not issue an immediate comment.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Larry King)
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