A United States federal judge has temporarily
blocked President Barack Obama's executive
action to spare a range of undocumented
immigrants from being deported.
US District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision on
Monday gave a coalition of 26 states time to
pursue a lawsuit that aims to permanently
stop orders allowing as many as five million
immigrants to stay in the US.
The federal government is expected to appeal
the ruling to the 5th US Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans, but the Justice
Department had no immediate comment late
on Monday night.
Hanen's decision will not have any immediate
effect because the first of Obama's orders - to
expand a programme that protects young
immigrants from deportation if they were
brought to the US illegally as children - is not
set to start taking effect until February 18.
The other major part of Obama's order, which
extends deportation protections to parents of
US citizens and permanent residents who
have been in the country for some years, is
not expected to begin until May 19.
In a 2013 ruling in a separate case, Hanen
suggested the Homeland Security Department
should be arresting parents living in the US
illegally who induce their children to cross the
border illegally.
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