The Immigration Waiting Game

Yesterday, the Obama administration filed an appeal to overturn and a motion to stay a Texas judge’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by 26 states against the administration’s executive action initiatives. The ruling temporarily blocks an executive exercise of discretion that would allow as many as five million undocumented immigrants to obtain work permits and protection from deportation, impacting an estimated 1.5-1.6 million people in California.

If the Obama administration’s stay is granted, it would allow this program to move forward even before the lawsuit is finalized.

For our part, we believe that this aspect of the President’s actions is not only constitutional, but is a much-needed measure to restore some fairness to our broken immigration system while this country finds a permanent solution that brings millions of hard working families out of the shadows.

Countless immigrant families have already been torn apart as a result of our failed immigration system. We hope the President’s deportation relief programs can move forward soon.

Julia Harumi Mass is a Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Northern California.