The Supreme Court Is Split On DAPA Ruling
There is currently a 4/4 split in the decisions of the current Supreme Court Justices regarding DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents Of Americans). The case (Texas v. United States) has the potential to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation and allow them to work (and pay taxes) in the county legally.
What Is DAPA?
The DAPA policy grants deferred action status to illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States since at least 2010 and who have had a child/children that is/are legal citizen(s) of the United States of America. Deferred action status means that the immigrant in question would be granted a renewable, three-year work permit as well as an exemption from deportation.
More Than Just The DAPA Policy
President Barack Obama announced the DAPA immigration policy in November of 2014. This plan was introduced alongside a number of immigration reform policies and procedures. Some of these things included with DAPA were steps to increase resources for border enforcement and procedures to help deal with highly skilled immigrants. In addition to these newer polices, President Obama also introduced an expansion for the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.
Why Is DAPA Up For Review By The Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the country. Their job is to interoperate the constitution and to rule on constitutional issues. The reason that the DAPA policy is up for review is that 26 states (including Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho and many others) have filed a lawsuit (Texas v. United States) against the Federal Government claiming that the DAPA policy violates federal statues as well as the Constitution.
The DAPA Injunction
SCOTUS is still split 4/4 over the Texas v. United States case ruling. As of February 2015, the DAPA policy has been issued a temporary injunction which effectively blocks the program from becoming law or going into effect until the lawsuit is ruled upon.
