Washington – In a 2-1 decision yesterday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction temporarily blocking implementation of President Obama’s 2014 deferred action programs, including the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program.

The DAPA program has the potential to benefit over 5 million U.S. citizen children by protecting their parents from deportation and providing them with the work authorization they need to provide for their families.

In response to the decision, First Focus president Bruce Lesley made the following statement:

“We are disappointed with the decision to keep millions of children and families living in limbo and fearing separation. In America, it’s unacceptable that children are tossing and turning at night wondering if their parents are going to be ripped away from them. We urge the Supreme Court to take this case as soon as possible so that our citizen children can sleep easier knowing they will wake up with their parents nearby and their families whole.”

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First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.firstfocus.org.