The Justice Department has urged a federal appeals court to lift a temporary hold a judge placed on President Barack Obama's immigration executive action.
The 69-page brief was filed Monday with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ahead of arguments scheduled for next month.
Lawyers for the federal government are challenging a preliminary injunction issued in February by a federal judge in Texas. That decision placed on hold an executive action that could spare from deportation as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.
In the new court filing, Justice Department lawyers say the federal government has unique authority to enforce the nation's immigration laws and to exercise discretion during the deportation process.
A court hearing has been set for April 17.
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