Obama’s Executive Action is Called into Question

Apparently an executive action isn’t so “executive” after all. This past Monday, Andrew Hanen, a federal judge from Texas, issued an order temporarily blocking a federal immigration program that would have potentially shielded millions from deportation.

The program, which would allow an estimated four million individuals to seek deferred deportation if they’ve been in the U.S. since 2010 and have a son or daughter who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, was created as a product of Obama’s controversial use of executive action this past November. The order also blocks an expansion of the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which was supposed to allow undocumented immigrants to apply to stay and work in the U.S. starting tomorrow.

Judge Hanen sided with nearly two dozen states that sued to challenge the immigration program backed by Obama, claiming that it “exceeded his authority and violated the Constitution,” according to the Wall Street Journal. This basically means that Hanen and company are saying “oh no you didn’t” *hand emoji* to Obama’s executive action and immigration proposal.

Source: Vox

What Does This Mean?

We’re essentially at a standstill. On the one hand, you have the states discussing how to proceed with the lawsuit, contending that the immigration program will impose a financial burden on the states in the form of public schooling and emergency care, while also encouraging even more unauthorized immigrants to come to the U.S.

On the other hand, you’ve got Obama and the White House claiming the executive action is legal and well within the president’s authority, asserting that the Department of Justice will appeal the decision on the grounds that states don’t have the authority to bring the lawsuit to court at all (they need to prove that each state government is being harmed by immigrants receiving deferred action).

Until this ruling is reversed or a different conclusion is reached, the federal government isn’t allowed to implement Obama’s immigration plans, putting the dreams of many hopeful immigrants on hold.

An Expensive Disagreement

To further complicate things, Congressional Republicans who oppose Obama’s immigration program have announced that they will only fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration, if the executive action is reversed. With funding set to expire on February 27, this is a pressing issue that could result in another government shutdown—an all too familiar stalemate that doesn’t come cheap.

Consider the government shutdown in October of 2013. According to Standard and Poor’s, the 16 day shutdown took $24 billion out of the U.S. economy, affecting both federal and independent workers, the tourism industry, military families, the holiday shopping season and the fourth quarter GDP growth. With an economy finally on the brink of sustainable stability, a government shutdown is the most financially irresponsible conclusion we could possibly come to.

For the full breakdown, head over to the Wall Street Journal.