[JURIST] A judge for US District Court for the Southern District of Texas [official website] declined [opinion] Tuesday night to lift an order he issued in February [text, PDF] temporarily blocking the executive immigration actions authorized by President Barack Obama [official website]. US District Judge Andrew Hanen issued two orders Tuesday night, the first rejecting the government’s motion to stay his February injunction, and the second [order] alleging that government lawyers had made “misleading” statements regarding the granting [LAT report] of 108,000 applications for deferred action under the president’s executive action. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton [official website] praised the court’s ruling stating [press release] that “The Obama Administration’s blatant misrepresentations to the court about its implementation of expanded work permits for illegal immigrants under the President’s lawless amnesty plan reflects a pattern of disrespect for the rule of law in America.” A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear arguments [CNN report] regarding the injunction blocking the president’s executive action on April 17.

In November Obama announced two new immigration programs [text], purportedly under his executive authority as president. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) would lift the threat of deportation for about 4.7 million undocumented residents by allowing immigrants that have been in the US for more than five years or have children who are citizens to register and pass a criminal background check in order to stay in the country. In March the US Department of Justice [official website] urged [JURIST report] the Fifth Circuit to reverse the injunction blocking the president’s immigration executive action.