Thread: Gov’t again apologizes; court reaffirms states have standing to sue

Gov’t again apologizes; court reaffirms states have standing to sue




Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 10:35 pm
By EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO Staff Writer

While the U.S. government again expressed its regret about erroneous information it has provided U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, he issued a supplemental order, restating that Texas and 25 other states have standing to sue President Barack Obama’s administration, court records reflect.

Hanen also reaffirmed his decision not to lift his preliminary injunction on new immigration initiatives.

Government attorneys advised Hanen on Thursday that they learned the day prior that U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services had discovered that another group of about 2,000 immigrants living in the country illegally had been erroneously provided three-year employment authorization documents after Hanen issued his Feb. 16 preliminary injunction.

“The government sincerely regrets these circumstances and is taking immediate steps to remedy these erroneous three-year terms,” government attorneys said in their advisory to Hanen.

Government attorneys told Hanen that the Department of Homeland Security is in the process of converting the three-year terms into two-year terms. “The Secretary of Homeland Security also has asked the DHS Inspector General to investigate the issuance of these three-year employment authorization documents,” the government attorneys said.

This is the second advisory that the government has had to make. Government attorneys had said on several occasions that no action would be taken before Feb. 18 on applications for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but they later told Hanen in a March 3 advisory that the government had issued three-year instead of two-year renewals to 108,081 immigrants in the country illegally. The government also later advised Hanen that the number does not include 55 applicants who received the benefits after his Feb. 16 injunction when he suspended implementation of the initiatives until the lawsuit is resolved.

Amid profuse apologies and regrets from government attorneys, Hanen found that he had been misled and is considering possible sanctions against the government.

The latest advisory also contains the correction that instead of 55 applicants who received the benefits after the injunction, the number of applicants is now 72.

Hanen issued the supplemental order Friday reaffirming his decision not to lift his injunction and restating that the states have standing to sue the government for several reasons, including because the president was abdicating his duty to enforce immigration laws.

Hanen said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah Saldaña had testified before the House Judiciary Committee on April 14 and had reiterated that any officer or agent who did not follow the dictates of the DHS’ directive on the new immigration initiatives would face the entire gamut of possible employee sanctions, including termination.

“While this Court had no reason to doubt President Obama’s statements, and while the government has assured the Court that it can rely on what the President says, the Court issues this supplemental order to denote that the President’s statements have now been affirmed under oath by the very person in charge of immigration enforcement,” Hanen stated.

In view of the new advisory from government attorneys, the states requested of the court and secured additional time in which to respond to the government. The states will be responding by May 20.

Eperez-trevino@valleystar.com

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/new...3e2e4192e.html

I truly need some punitive action here, Preferably against Obama, or Johnson. The attorneys taking the heat are only paid shills doing what they are told.