Appeals Court Weighs Texas’s Challenge to ‘Dreamers’ Program

The federal government argued that Texas lacked standing to sue over President Joe Biden’s policy on illegal immigrants who came to the United States as minors.

A sign in support of DACA Dreamers lies at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on June 15, 2020. Tom Brenner/Reuters

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on Oct. 10 over the federal government’s attempt to restore President Joe Biden’s protections for so-called dreamer immigrants after a Texas judge blocked them from taking effect.

The federal policy is intended to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as minors. Nearly 600,000 of them have enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and more than 100,000 live in Texas.