Another setback stared unlawful immigrants in the face this week, as a Texan judge brought the President’s executive order on immigration to a standstill.

The President’s decisions were issued an injunction by the U S District Judge Andrew Hanen, which he announced in November – these would have protected up to 5 million unlawful immigrants from possible deportation. Work permits too would have been issued to the immigrants. In the ruling the judge took sides with 26 states that had filed a court ruling against the Obama administration, deriding his executive actions. The states had declared that the pervading questions pertaining to immigration issues in the Constitution should be first solved before any program could proceed.

The first program, an extended version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, that began in the year 2012, and one which would apply to almost 270,000 unlawful immigrants who entered the United States as children-was expected to begin accepting applications in a day or two.

A second program which is slated to accord deportation help to the unlawful parents of U S citizens and lawful residents, which is called the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents was planned to have started in the month of May. Both have been delayed for an indefinite time frame.