Expanded DACA & DAPA – Blocked!
On February 16, 2015, District Judge Andrew Hanen issued an injunction on the expanded DACA and new DAPA programs, effectively blocking the programs from being implemented in February and May, respectively, until a decision could be made on a lawsuit brought forward by Texas and 26 other states.
Since then, we have been awaiting news as government appealed the injunction to the Federal Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The court heard hour-long arguments from each side.
Denied!
On May 26, 2015, the court denied the Obama administration’s request for a lift of the injunction, stating that the states had sufficient legal grounds to bring the lawsuit and that the administration had not shown that it would be harmed if the injunction remained in place and the programs were further delayed. The three-judge panel split its decision 2-1.
The court also denied the government’s request for the injunction to be lifted on the 24 states not participating in the lawsuit.
Next, The Obama administration has decided to focus on an appeal on the injunction before the 5th Circuit panel that has had oral arguments tentatively scheduled for July 6, 2015.
As the legal battle continues, hope still exists for the Obama administration’s ultimate success in this lawsuit. The lawsuit is thought of as a conservative political move to cause a cacophony in Washington, and to scare immigrants away from the eventual implementation of these programs.
Updates to come as they become available.
Links to stories, oral arguments, and the 5th Circuit’s decision:
http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-40238-CV0.pdf