5th Circuit Court of Appeals Court Denies Emergency Stay Request, Keeping Millions of Immigrant Families in Limbo

5th Circuit Court of Appeals Court Denies Emergency Stay Request, Keeping Millions of Immigrant Families in Limbo

Causa Remains Confident that At the End of the Day, Anti-Immigrant Legal Maneuvers Won’t Work

Thousands of Immigrant Families Continue to Wait, Prepare for Implementation as Long Legal Battle of Immigration Action Unfolds

Salem, Ore. – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied the US Department of Justice’s request for an emergency stay in the anti-immigrant lawsuit, Texas v. United States of America. Texas Federal Judge Andrew Hanen issued an injunction in mid-February temporarily halting the implementation of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. 

Thousands of Oregon immigrants, up to as many as five million immigrants across the country, are forced to wait, continuing to live in fear of deportation and being torn from their families. 

“Anti-immigrant politicians strategically filed this case in order to delay relief for hardworking immigrants in Oregon”, said Andrea Miller, Causa's Executive Director.  “We are confident that we will win this lawsuit and, finally, millions of hardworking immigrants will be able to live, work, and stay in the only country they call home.”

The Fifth Circuit will likely hold a hearing to decide whether to lift the preliminary injunction and allow implementation of the new DAPA/DACA+ programs to proceed. At the same time, the Department of Justice could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to impose an emergency stay against the injunction.

Despite the slow movement of the anti-immigrant lawsuit through the court system, support for immigrant families and the deferred action programs has been building. More than 100 legal scholars have come forward declaring President Obama acted within his authority. Separate amicus briefs and public statements of support have been made by governors, attorneys general, law enforcement officers, dozens of large city mayors and public officials, and others in the case supporting the expanded DACA and DAPA programs. 

“From the beginning, this lawsuit has been a fear tactic by anti-immigrant politicians to scare away eligible immigrants from applying for DACA and DAPA. We’ve seen these kinds of attacks before, and our communities have continued to grow stronger and more united. There’s no doubt about it - DAPA and DACA are legally sound, morally right, and economically smart – and the anti-immigrant politicians in this lawsuit need to get out of the way so millions can come forward and further contribute to their communities”, said Miller.

Last week, as part of the National Day of Action to #Fight4DAPA, Causa and statewide partners launched Oregon Immigration Resource -- a bilingual information hub to provide guidance and resources for the community about new and existing immigration programs and opportunities.  Families wanting more information about President Obama's Deferred Action programs, upcoming informational forums, the court process and/or assistance can visit www.oregonimmigrationresource.org.

# # #

Causa is Oregon’s statewide Latino immigrant rights organization. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights by coordinating with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org