The U.S. government wants a South Texas federal judge to lift his temporary hold on President Barack Obama's executive action that would shield approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen issued a preliminary injunction last week in response to a lawsuit filed by Texas and 25 other states against Obama's immigration action, arguing it's unconstitutional.
Those orders would have allowed people brought to the U.S. illegally as kids to stay in the country and would also provide protection to some parents of U.S. citizens who have lived in the country for an extended period of time.
The Associated Press reported the Justice Department filed its request for a stay in Brownsville Monday, asking Hanen to put his own order on hold while the government appeals the decision, which means Obama's immigration action would go forward while the lawsuit works its way through the courts.
