U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen refused in a late-night Tuesday decision to lift a hold on President Obama's executive moves that would keep five million or so illegal immigrants from being deported.

The decision is a major setback for the White House.

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The Los Angeles Times reported Hanen declined to stay a decision he handed down in mid-February granting a preliminary injunction to 26 states that filed suit against Obama's executive action. The Obama administration had requested the injunction so it could appeal that ruling before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

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Hanen's decision was issued by way of two late-night orders – the first, a refusal to lift the injunction and the second, a documentation of what he described as the government's misleading statements, the Los Angeles Times reported. As part of that order, he told the federal government to provide the court with more information about their request for an injunction by April 21.

Hanen also said he wasn't going to toss the government's petition, despite admitting such action was "perhaps merited based upon the government's misconduct," the newspaper reported.

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"[But that wouldn't] be in the interests of justice or in the best interest of this country," he concluded, saying instead the issues "should be decided on their relative merits according to the law."

The rulings followed some tense exchanges in court between prosecutors and the judge. Hanen had expressed frustration with the prosecution for failing to inform him for 15 days the feds had given deferred action to 108,000 applicants shortly after Obama announced his amnesty plans in November.

"The court expects all parties, including the government of the United States, to act in a forthright manner and not hide behind deceptive representations and half-truths," Hanen wrote in his decision, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Attorneys for the 26 states are arguing Obama's executive action causes "irreparable harm" to their local interests. Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the charge of states' protests against Obama's action, called Hanen's ruling commendable.

"The Obama administration's blatant misrepresentations to the court about its implementation of expanded work permits for illegal immigrants under the president's lawless amnesty plan reflects a pattern of disrespect for the rule of law in America," Paxton said. "As the judge has affirmed, once put into effect, President Obama's executive amnesty program will be virtually impossible to reverse. Any premature implementation could have serious consequences."