AG Paxton says he will consider suing to end DACA if court case drags on

by Julián Aguilar, Texas Tribune


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday informed the U.S. Supreme Court that if the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program still exists in June, his office would consider filing suit to eliminate the program.

The Obama-era program protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants from immediate deportation and allows them to legally work in the United States. But President Donald Trump in September 2017 announced his administration would end the program in March of this year. A federal district judge in California has placed that on temporary hold however, ruling that the administration could not abruptly shut down the program. Since then, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting renewal applications for two-year DACA permits, although new applications are not being considered.

The Trump administration has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case and overturn the judge's decision. It was in an amicus brief Paxton filed in support of the president Thursday that his office said it would consider future litigation.

“Indeed, if the injunction is maintained through June 2018, amici States will be forced to consider filing a lawsuit challenging the original 2012 memorandum creating DACA,” the filing reads, referring to the 12 other states that signed on to Paxton’s brief.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/25/ag-paxton-says-he-will-consider-suing-end-daca-if-court-case-drags/