BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) – The federal judge in Texas who temporarily blocked President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration has been critical of a separate government policy to reunite children smuggled into the U.S. with their parents who are here illegally.
In a 2013 case, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen accused the Obama administration of participation in criminal conspiracies in such situations and said parents in the U.S. illegally who induce their children to come illegally should be arrested.
Hanen, who spent several years handling the federal government’s land condemnation cases to build the border fence, wasn’t known for being outspoken on immigration until then.
In Brownsville on Monday, Hanen granted a request by 26 states led by Texas to block Obama’s action sparing millions from deportation while a lawsuit to permanently stop it proceeds.