A supporter of the DACA program.
(Image credit: Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), seven states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

DACA, enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2012, protects certain young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. The states challenging DACA — Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and West Virginia — argue it is unconstitutional, with Paxton saying on Tuesday he has "argued for years that the executive branch lacks the power to unilaterally grant unlawfully present aliens lawful presence and work authorization."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.