ACLU of Nevada joins effort to reinstate Obama’s immigration plan

CARSON CITY — The ACLU of Nevada is among about 150 organizations asking the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn an injunction which temporarily halted President Obama’s immigration programs. The court is expected to hear arguments today in the multi-state legal challenge over the programs that could allow several million undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. temporarily.

On Feb. 17, a federal district court blocked implementation of the president’s initiative to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), under which certain immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children can apply for protection from deportation and work authorization. The court also blocked implementation of a second initiative that would allow certain immigrant parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for protection from deportation and work authorization (known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA.

The groups whho filed the amicus brief Thursday argue the delays in implementing the two initiatives would harm the nation’s economy and prevent aspiring Americans from participating more fully in their communities.

Today’s filings are the latest legal step in Texas, et al. v. United States, et al., the 27-state challenge to the administration’s immigration actions. Today, the Fifth Circuit will hear oral arguments in a request for emergency stay of the lower court’s injunction. If granted, the emergency stay would allow the U.S. government to begin implementation of the DAPA and “expanded DACA” initiatives.