Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed forcefully spoke out Friday in support of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration, just four days after a federal judge in Texas sided with Georgia and 24 other states and put those efforts on hold.
Reed — who joined 32 other mayors in filing court papers in support of the president’s plans last month — was joined at the Latin American Association by immigrant rights activists and diplomats from Mexico and several Central American countries.
“In my judgment, the injunction against President Obama’s administrative relief order will be temporary, if the courts follow the law,” Reed told the audience of more than 100 people, including immigrants preparing to apply for relief under the Obama administration’s plans. “The Supreme Court and Congress have made it clear that the federal government can set priorities in enforcing our country’s immigration laws.”
The town hall meeting was part of a series of events planned across the nation in support of the Obama administration’s efforts. On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen issued an injunction, temporarily placing on hold two key parts of Obama’s plans. One would provide three-year work permits and deportation deferrals to immigrants who don’t have legal status in the U.S. but do have children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The other would expand a similar program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, which provides the same benefits for immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children.
Georgia and 25 other states sued in Hanen’s court last year, seeking to block the president’s programs. The states argue the president’s actions are unconstitutional. The Obama administration has said it will appeal Hanen’s ruling.
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