White House blasts order halting immigration plan

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama's immigration plan halted by judge Gov. Greg Abbott hailed a federal judge's decision to halt President Obama's executive action on immigration — a decision that gave the state of Texas an initial victory in its battle against what state leaders call federal overreach.

The Obama administration is ripping the ruling of a Texas judge who said the president exceeded his legal authority with his immigration orders of last year.

"The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that the federal government can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws — which is exactly what the President did when he announced commonsense policies to help fix our broken immigration system," said a statement from White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued an injunction against Obama actions that would defer deportations for as many as 5 million people who are in the country illegally.

Addressing a case brought by a coalition of states, Hanen said Obama basically changed immigration law on his own, placing a new financial burden on states.

"The court finds that the government's failure to secure the border has exacerbated illegal immigration into this country," Hanen wrote. "Further, the record supports the finding that this lack of enforcement, combined with the country's high rate of illegal immigration, significantly drains the states' resources."

The Obama administration plans to appeal Hanen's ruling.

The Texas decision is the latest step in a series of legal skirmishes that may wind up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

In his statement, Earnest said the president's immigration policies "are consistent with the laws passed by Congress and decisions of the Supreme Court, as well as five decades of precedent by presidents of both parties who have used their authority to set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws."

Citing an array of attorneys who say Obama is acting within his legal authority, Earnest said that "top law enforcement officials, along with state and local leaders across the country, have emphasized that these policies will also benefit the economy and help keep communities safe."

He added: "The district court's decision wrongly prevents these lawful, commonsense policies from taking effect and the Department of Justice has indicated that it will appeal that decision."