Dallas judge defers ruling on deportation agents suit for another briefing


DIANNE SOLIS
Staff Writer
Published: 25 April 2013 12:05 PM


Deportation agents and the U.S. government must present more arguments by May 6th in a federal suit aimed at continuing deportations of young immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully.

The target is an Obama administration initiative called deferred action for childhood arrivals, or DACA. It provides a process for halting deportation for certain young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors. Ten deportation agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, want to derail the initiative.

Federal Judge Reed O'Connor issued a 37-page interim ruling this week and indicated the agents were "likely to succeed on the merits of their claim."

The agents are suing their bosses, including Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The U.S. government attorneys argued the complaint was essentially an employment dispute and that the Dallas federal court was the wrong venue under the federal Civil Service Reform Act.

In his interim ruling, O'Connor asked questions about the effect of the agents' collective barganing agreement and the Civil Service Reform Act, as well. O'Connor suggested the federal governments' arguments on that point had been "inadequate."

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/20130...r-briefing.ece