White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday sounded bullish about a program granting work permits to millions of illegal immigrants going into effect, even as President Obama faces larger hurdles to launching the programs.
The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans in a hearing Friday sounded particularly skeptical of the Obama administration’s attempts to move ahead on new protections for up to 5 million illegal immigrants.
The ruling by the judicial panel — the most conservative circuit court nationwide — is expected in coming weeks. The White House could be forced to turn to the Supreme Court to lift the stay if the New Orleans court issues an unfavorable ruling.
Some immigration advocates have expressed concern that the legal challenges could keep Obama from implementing the programs before leaving office or deter eligible, illegal immigrants from signing up for the quasi-legal status.
A future Republican president could undo Obama’s program, which lacks the permanence of legislation.
“We feel very confident in the strength of the legal arguments,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday.
“We’re going to make those arguments aggressively and urge the court to act quickly.”
Texas Judge Andrew Hanen effectively halted Obama’s immigration efforts in February, saying a collection of red-leaning states should be allowed to pursue a lawsuit before the federal government starts the programs.
