HOUSTON (AP) – A hearing before a federal judge in Texas over the fate of a program shielding young immigrants from deportation has focused heavily on the judge’s previous ruling against an earlier Obama-era program.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen heard arguments Wednesday in a case brought by Texas against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Texas and several other states say the program is unlawful.
Three other federal judges have ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA. If Hanen rules that DACA could end, it would create a conflict between legal rulings that legal experts say would draw the attention of higher courts.
Hanen asked pointed questions of both sides Wednesday about how DACA compares to his 2015 ruling against an expansion of DACA and another program shielding immigrant parents in the U.S. illegally.
He asked attorneys to submit new briefs in the case by Monday.
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