President Barack Obama's immigration plan has suffered another blow, after a federal appeals court in New Orleans upheld an earlier ruling by a Texas-based judge that had blocked the plan, according to The Associated Press.
The plan would have seen an estimated 5 million people living illegally in the U.S. allowed to remain in the country without fear of being deported. The plan faced much opposition from Republicans, including from Texas Gov. Greg Abbot who praised the latest court ruling.
"President Obama should abandon his lawless executive amnesty program and start enforcing the law today," said Abbot in a statement.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier injunction by the Texas based judge on a 2-1 decision. This means that of the three judges who determined the case, two supported the earlier injunction, while only one opposed it.
If Obama's immigration plan had had its way, the millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S would not have faced any threats of deportation, until the next president, USA Today reported.
A Democratic president would most likely have offered them temporary protection from being deported, while a Republican would probably have opposed such a move.
However, immigration advocates say that the battle is still not lost, and that the Obama administration can still appeal at the high court and expect a favorable decision by next summer, according to The Washington Post.
"We need a decision from the Supreme Court by June 2016," said the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, Marielena Hincapié.
"Every single day that goes by means further delays. ... Once the green light is given [by the Supreme Court], it will make it that much more difficult for any administration, Republican or Democrat, to undo the program," added Hincapié, who has been keenly following the case.
