A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan enacted by the Obama Administration is illegal and blocked all new applicants for it starting immediately, CNN reports.
The ruling by Judge Andrew Hanen, a George W. Bush appointee to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, does not direct any action against those under protection from the program so they can remain in the country without being targeted for removal.
Hanen’s ruling is based on the idea that the 2012 executive order– signed by Barack Obama and giving temporary amnesty to those covered by DACA: people brought into the country as children under the age of 16 before June 15, 2007–overrides Congress’s legislative authority and that Congress did not give the Department of Homeland Security to create DACA.
“Congress has not granted the Executive Branch free rein to grant lawful presence outside the ambit of the statutory scheme,” Hanen wrote.
“The dreams of hundreds of thousands of young people who are contributing to the American economy will be put on hold for no good reason. Congress must pass a pathway to citizenship this year. We can’t wait,” Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democratic Congressman said on Twitter.