NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Appellate
judges on Friday were to consider whether to lift a temporary hold
imposed by a federal judge in Texas on President Barack Obama's
executive action seeking to shield millions of immigrants from
deportation.
A three-judge
panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a
closely watched case that is holding up Obama's immigration action.
U.S.
District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville granted a preliminary
injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama's
action. Hanen's rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama
administration from implementing the policies that would allow as many
as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain.
Large numbers of advocacy groups and immigrants were planning to rally outside the New Orleans courthouse.
Obama
announced the executive orders after the November mid-term elections,
saying inaction by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to
immigration rules on his own.
A
coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, filed the lawsuit to overturn
Obama's executive action, arguing that it is unconstitutional and would
force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education.
Justice
Department attorneys have argued that maintaining the temporary hold
harms "the interests of the public and of third parties who will be
deprived of significant law enforcement and humanitarian benefits of
prompt implementation" of the president's immigration action.
The
appellate court is taking up the case at a special hearing. It was
uncertain how quickly the panel might rule following the hearing. Each
side was to get an hour to argue their case.
The
first of Obama's orders — to expand a program that protects young
immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally
as children — had been set to take effect Feb. 18.
The
other major part would extend deportation protections to parents of
U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for
several years. That provision was slated to begin on May 19.
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