Countdown commences to Supreme Court immigration fight

In 2015, President Barack Obama followed up the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with an executive decision to expand the program and introduce another Deferred Action scheme for undocumented immigrants whose children were legal residents or held US citizenship. The decision infuriated more than 50 percent of states, with Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, leading the 26 states that launched legal action to prevent the program from being implemented.

Paxton says the decision made by Obama was rash and unwise and that he had no authorization to make such a far-reaching decision on his own, adding that it is the job of Congress to rewrite national immigration law, not just one individual.

On March 29, Paxton filed a merits brief for the legal battle before the Supreme Court over the issue that listed the reasons why the states are so opposed to the plan, which has been described as illegal and unlawful. They believe that the rule of law has been ignored by the President when it comes to immigration policy. The Supreme Court is expected to begin hearing oral arguments on the case on April 18.

Texas scored a win against the Obama administration in November last year when the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit agreed to uphold the injunction against the program after Solicitor General Scott Kelly’s verbal presentation back in July, the third ruling made by a federal court in favor of the Texas case.