Around five million undocumented immigrants in the United States are facing an uncertain future. This follows the ruling by an appeals court last week denying the Obama administration’s attempt to lift the injunction preventing the implementation of President Obama’s immigration reform via executive action.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), which provides help to immigrants, says it is “extremely disappointed” by the US Fifth Circuit of Appeals decision, which was announced on May 26th. The ruling backed the injunction slapped on the deferred action programs by Texas judge Andrew Hanen in response to a lawsuit filed by 26 states, led by Texas, to try to prevent the president’s executive action.
The executive director of CLINIC, Jeanne Atkinson, says that the children, siblings and parents of people with US citizenship who have been living in the country for many years are already suffering as a result of the decision to block the programs. CLINIC is advising immigrants about ways in which they can prevent themselves from “being taken advantage of”, according to the Catholic News Agency.
“We’re trying to make sure that the immigrant community understands what this means,” Atkinson notes. Among the changes that would have come into force had the executive action been implemented were law enforcement agencies having to wait three years before they could begin deportation proceedings against certain undocumented immigrants, including parents of US citizens who have lived in the country for over five years.