WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will seek a stay of a federal judge’s decision temporarily blocking President Barack Obama’s action to protect millions of immigrants from deportation.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the paperwork will be filed with the court by Monday.
Earnest said Friday that the decision to seek a stay is separate from the administration’s plan to appeal Monday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Texas.
Earnest says Obama’s advisers believe the president acted within his rights last year when he used his executive authority to spare from deportation as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.
The judge’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit against Obama’s actions that was filed by a coalition of states, led by Texas.
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