Revelations that 2,000 work permits were given to illegal immigrants “raises serious questions about the Obama administration’s reliability,” according to the attorney general for Texas, who is leading a federal lawsuit that contends the president’s executive actions on immigration are illegal. In a court filing made Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also called for increased oversight of the administration’s compliance with a judge’s injunction not to go forward with the executive orders.
“Not even the Obama administration has a full grasp of the complicated bureaucracy that defines the president’s illegal amnesty plan,” Paxton said in a statement issued Wednesday. “The newly revealed admission that even more expanded work permits were granted to 2,000 illegal immigrants raises serious questions about the Obama administration’s reliability moving forward. Increased oversight is needed to hold the federal government accountable for its apparent inability to report accurate information to the court.”
Paxton said the administration didn’t turn over documents related to the expansion of work permits as was required by a federal judge in Texas. “Since then, the federal government has admitted to violating the district court's order against implementing expanded executive amnesty, admitting to the judge that 2,000 more individuals were prematurely granted expanded work permits,” the attorney general said.
A preliminary injunction against President Barack Obama's executive orders, which would protect up to 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation, was issued on Feb. 16, a day before undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children could have signed up for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, said the case had enough merit to go forward.
Texas and 25 other states say the actions are illegal and represent an economic burden. The case is being heard by the 5th District Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
The Obama administration said in court filings that the Texas case has “a substantial risk of interfering with the government's ability to speak with one voice on matters that may affect trade, investment, tourism and diplomatic relations for the entire nation,” according to Bloomberg.
