Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson just dodged a bullet. He will not have to testify in court in the legal battle between President Obama and 22 states over the executive actions on immigration.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen previously threatened to bring Johnson and other top administration officials in to explain why the feds continued to issue work permits this year to illegal immigrants despite a court ruling. The Obama administration was told to hold any new work permits after Hanen put an injunction on the executive action in February.
Politico reported on Tuesday that because of Hanen’s threat, the Obama administration has taken “dramatic steps” to comply with the federal judge’s demands to stop issuing permits and revoke any hat had already been given out after the court’s orders.
“The court releases all individual defendants from its earlier order requiring mandatory attendance. Nevertheless, the court remains concern[ed] about the individuals that still possess credentials issued in violation of the court’s injunction,” Hanen wrote in the court order.
Hanen made it clear that he still required an explanation as to why the government acted outside the court’s orders.
“The court does not consider mere substantial compliance, after an order has been in place for six months, to be acceptable, and neither should counsel,” Hanen wrote.
To get back in the court’s good graces, the Obama administration aggressively pushed to retrieve the mistakenly issued documents, sending letters, emails, text messages, and even made in-person visits to illegal immigrants with issued permits.
