On October 10, 2012, Mississippi became the first state to join a lawsuit filed by 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents against the Obama administration’s deferred action policy, which grants a renewable two-year deportation reprieve and work authorization for undocumented young people who meet certain eligibility criteria.

The lawsuit, which will be argued in part by Kris Kobach, Kansas’ Secretary of State and the author of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 immigration statute, also challenges the administration’s announcement that ICE officers may consider factors such as U.S. citizen family members and longstanding ties to the country when making deportation determinations.

According to the plaintiffs, the administration’s policy is unconstitutional and circumvents Congressional authority. For its part, Mississippi has joined the lawsuit due to the alleged tax costs of not enforcing federal immigration laws.

According to statistics released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Services (USCIS), nearly 4,600 deferred action approvals have been issued to date and close to 180,000 requests have been accepted for processing. For additional information about the deferred action program, please click here.