After Texas ruling, White House puts immigration programs on hold


On Tuesday, President Obama said that the Department of Homeland Security will comply with a ruling by a federal judge in Texas and put its new immigration programs on hold. The first phase of the programs, created through executive order, was set to take effect Wednesday.
"We're not going to disregard this federal court ruling," Obama told reporters, but DHS will continue preparations for when Judge Andrew Hanen's stay is overturned. "I think the law is on our side, and history is on our side," Obama said. "We should not be tearing some mom away from her child when the child has been born here and that mom has been living here the last 10 years minding her own business and being an important part of the community."
Meanwhile, financing for the DHS is set to expire on Feb. 27 unless Congress acts. House Republicans are insisting that any funding be tied to overturning Obama's immigration orders; Senate Democrats won't agree to those demands. Watch the Associated Press report below for more details. —Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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