Lawyers associated with the Federal Government are trying to challenge a preliminary ruling issued in the month of February by a Federal Judge in the state of Texas, United States. The decision by the judge placed on hold an executive action that could seek to spare from deportation around 5 million people who are in the United States unlawfully.

Justice Department lawyers state that a unique authority is reposed in the federal government that can enforce the country’s immigration laws and use its limited resources that can exercise discretion during the deportation process; including by deferring the removal of certain groups of immigrants, such as those who are not seen as a public safety threat.

A coalition of around 26 states including Texas challenged the executive action, saying that the move was unconstitutional. The states also stated that they would suffer irreversible economic harm if the injunction was done away with. The Justice Department argued though, that the states failed to show exactly how the executive action would affect them negatively.