The program allowed illegal immigrants who are spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country.
A Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker put the program on hold in August, days after applicants filed their paperwork.
Barker ruled Thursday that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority by implementing the program and had stretched the legal interpretation of relevant immigration law “past its breaking point.”
Barker had placed the program on hold after Texas and 15 other states, led by their Republican attorneys general, filed a legal challenge accusing the executive branch of bypassing Congress to help immigrant families for “blatant political purposes.”
Republicans argued the initiative created costs for their states and could draw more foreigners to enter the country illegally.
