Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case on Obama’s Immigration Actions

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would review a challenge to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration in the case of United States v. Texas.

Back in November 2014, President Obama announced a new deferred action policy, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), as well as an expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. These initiatives would allow for more than 4 million immigrant parents and children to come out of the shadows of society, and work and live openly in our communities without fear of deportation or being separated from their families.

The president’s executive actions would prioritize the deportation of people who threaten public safety, not hardworking immigrant families. In addition, the initiatives would create jobs and expand the nation’s economy.

Fourteen months later, however, the administration’s actions have yet to be implemented as a Texas-led lawsuit has left the president’s actions frozen in court. Most recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided last year to uphold a preliminary injunction blocking the initiatives.

The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to review United States v. Texas was hailed by immigration activists and the civil rights community. “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to hear this appeal and applaud the Obama administration for standing up for families and for the principle that people who work hard to make our country a better place deserve a chance to share in the American dream,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, in a statement following the Court’s announcement. “We look forward to the Court’s consideration of this case, and are confident that the President’s executive actions will be upheld.”