The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decided on Monday evening to continue blocking President Obama’s 2014 immigration executive actions—Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, known as DAPA, and an extension to 2012’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Both reliefs have been on hold since February, after a court in Texas issued a temporary injunction, while 26 states—including Arizona—continue a legal battle challenging the constitutionality of the programs.
According to The Huffington Post, “The appeals court accepted Texas’ argument that an expansion of immigration relief to include a wider class of undocumented immigrants would cause the state to ‘incur significant costs in issuing driver’s licenses to DAPA beneficiaries’—a basic ‘harm’ requirement for any litigant seeking standing to sue.”
U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith said that, if DAPA goes into effect, it would allow for half a million undocumented immigrants in Texas to “satisfy that requirement with proof of lawful presence or employment authorization. Texas subsidizes its licenses and would lose a minimum of $130.89 on each one it issued to a DAPA beneficiary. Even a modest estimate would put the loss at several million dollars,” The Huffington Post reports.
Immigration rights advocates were, of course, not happy with the decision.
Tom Jawetz, vice president of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, released this statement:
We are disappointed in today’s flawed decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which leaves millions of American families in limbo and in continuing danger of being torn apart. The court’s decision to intervene in this politically motivated case ignores strong legal and historical precedent for the actions taken by the administration last November, including a direct command by Congress that the secretary of homeland security set national immigration enforcement policies and priorities. Further delaying the implementation of these programs only harms the country by forgoing a cumulative $230 billion added to our gross domestic product over a decade, the creation of tens of thousands of jobs each year, and a significant increase in the wages of all workers. Enough slowing down sound legal action; the Supreme Court should take up this case as soon as possible so that the country can reap all of the benefits that would come from these crucial initiatives.
DAPA would grant parents of U.S. citizen or legal resident children (and who have no criminal record) a renewable three-year work permit and temporary deportation relief.
DACA II is an extension of Obama’s 2012 DACA, which allows for undocumented immigrants brought here as children to apply for a two-year work permit and remain in the country. Extended DACA got rid of the age restrictions (with DACA I, the person has to be under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012 and have arrived to the U.S. before turning 16. Also, you have to be over 15 years old to apply for the 2012 DACA, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) and extended the renewable work permission to three years.
For obvious reasons, USCIS is not accepting applications for either DAPA or DACA II. The first DACA remains untouched.
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2015.
Sorry but they used Obama’s own words that he did not possess the authority to do it.
A federal appeals court said President Obama’s own words claiming powers to “change the law” were part of the reason it struck down his deportation amnesty, in a ruling late Monday that reaffirmed the president must carry out laws and doesn’t have blanket powers to waive them.
The 2-1 ruling by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals punctures Mr. Obama’s immigration plans and is the latest in a series of major court rulings putting limits on the president’s claims of expansive executive powers to enact his agenda without having to get congressional buy-in.-Washington Times
Texas subsidizes its licenses and would lose a minimum of $130.89 on each one it issued to a DAPA beneficiary. Totally bullshit.
My wife is a immigrant and we filed LEGALLY. It cost us Thousands of dollars. Yes you read that right. It cost us that. My wife has never committed a crime and worked aboard Military bases overseas over 6 years. She had to go through 8 background checks for her job yearly. It took us 3 years to get her visa LEGALLY.
Then you have these people bypassing me and my wife getting benefits that I pay for and get citizenship and only pay $130.89. Totally crap. I am glad it was denied. Entering the country and staying doesn’t make you a citizen. It makes you a criminal.
I am proud to have you join America as citizens, Mr Civic. This President is treating criminals better than citizens. Something is seriously wrong here.
Your story is the REAL broken immigration problems. Not law breaking cheaters.
Throw their asses out.
And now the 9th Circuit Court rules that Tucson’s elections are unconstitutional. They must allow for election to the Council by Ward, not at large. That may just put an end to the sanctuary city status that has been dumped on us.
So can we remove the illegitimate office holders?
hahaha I like how the opponents of the unconstitutional Obama ruling have nothing to say. Tuck you bottom lip . No crying bahahaha. Yeah just give your thumbs down and move on. You have nothing
“Immigration rights advocates were, of course, not happy with the decision.”
Of course not. Nothing but a completely open border for (Hispanic) immigrants will satisfy them.
About time the judges got their heads out of there asses and upheld the laws of the land instead of picking and choosing them. Now deport all illegal aliens and let the migrants that have gone threw the proses the legal way, come in.
As a veteran, this is the best news I could have heard on this national holiday.
A nation without borders is not a nation.