The Biden administration’s efforts to impose a 100-day pause on deportations of illegal immigrants were dealt another blow on Tuesday when a district judge extended a ban on its imposition in response to a lawsuit from Texas.
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton indefinitely banned enforcement of the Jan. 20 memorandum that would have implemented a 100-day moratorium on most deportations.
Tipton had previously issued a two-week restraining order on the policy after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had argued that it violated federal law and an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Texas be consulted before such a move.
Biden had campaigned on the 100-day pause as part of a sweeping immigration agenda that includes a halt on border wall construction, an end to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
The broad “pause” would have had exceptions. It would exclude those who, according to a written finding by the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have engaged in terrorism or espionage or who pose a danger to national security. It would also exclude those who were not present in the U.S. before Nov. 1, 2020, those who agreed to waive the right to remain, and those whom the ICE director individually determined need to be removed by law.
