High court asked to review immigration plan

Formal request sent concerning lower ruling on proposal of deportation relief for 5 million

The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court’s ruling that has blocked a plan President Barack Obama announced exactly one year ago to give work permits to nearly 5 million immigrants here illegally.

The formal request, known as a petition for certiorari, came on the one-year anniversary of the president’s executive action, which he outlined in a televised address from the White House on Nov. 20, 2014.

Heading a coalition of 26 Re- publican-led states, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott immediately sued to stop the program, arguing in part that Obama would place an unfair burden on them by forcing states to issue hundreds of thousands of driver’s licenses. The nation’s highest court must now decide whether to hear the case and overturn a lower court’s ruling earlier this month.

In a statement, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, said the president “clearly acted outside the law” and that he was confident the state would ultimately prevail in its lawsuit.

Meanwhile, thousands of im- migrants planned rallies and protests Friday for across the country and Texas and more than 75 events were scheduled in 19 states. In Houston, immigrants rallied outside City Hall at 11 a.m.

“The actions are on hold because of a lawsuit filed by Gov. Greg Abbott,” said Mary Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Texas Organizing Project, an immigrant advocacy group. “(We) will continue fighting to make life better for immigrants living in Houston, starting with municipal IDs, and will mobilize the Latino and immigrant vote in 2016 to elect leaders who stand with immigrant families and comprehensive immigration reform.”

In Washington D.C., hundreds of impacted immigrants also protested outside the Supreme Court at the same time, including Madai Ledezma, who came here illegally 10 years ago from Mexico and has a 7-year-old daughter who is a U.S. citizen.

“I have no idea what would happen to our daughter Heather if we were deported,” Madai said in an email sent on her behalf by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement and the National Partnership for New Americans, two advocacy groups. “I can’t bear to think about it.”

Immigrants are also marching to the Governor’s Mansion in Austin on Saturday to urge Abbott to meet with immigrants his lawsuit is impacting.

The reforms, known as De- ferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, would have protected nearly 5 million immigrants here illegally from deportation and as many as 172,000 in Harris County. They would have had to be here for at least five years and not have been convicted of serious crimes to qualify for the temporary work permits, as well as have U.S. born children.

An analysis this week by the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern California found that 1.6 million relatives of immigrants who would have qualified for the benefits will be eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential elections.