Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown criticized the immigration executive action lawsuit led by Texas and has referred it as "un-Christian."

Following a meeting at the White House on Friday, Brown reiterated his support of President Barack Obama's deferred action programs. He told reporters, "They (opponents of the executive actions) are taking a stand against a very large group of people who tens of millions of Americans identify with and sympathize with. I would say the Republican position at best is troglodyte and at worst un-Christian."

Brown said the 26 states suing the U.S. government are "declaring war" on undocumented immigrants and immigrant rights' supporters. The lawsuit was originally filed by then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has since become the Lone Star State's governor. Current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has continued the efforts to block the deferred action programs' implementation and received support from 25 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District Of Texas' Brownsville Division temporarily blocked the deferred action programs -- the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA). Following Hanen's temporary injunction ruling in February, the California governor said, "California stands firmly with the White House. Further delay will not fix our broken immigration system." Hanen allowed for the U.S. government to issue an appeal, and the U.S. Department of Justice filed their appeal on March 13 to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

According to the DOJ appeal, signed by the department's Civil Division attorney William Havemann, the temporary injunction "undermines" the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its secretary, Jeh Johnson.

"The district court's order is unprecedented and wrong," the DOJ appeal stated. "The Constitution does not entitle States to intrude into the uniquely federal domain of immigration enforcement. Yet the district court has taken the extraordinary step of allowing a State to override the United States' exercise of its enforcement discretion in the immigration laws."

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals did deny the federal government's request for a quicker decision to lift the temporary injunction.

For Brown, the immigration executive actions provide financial benefits for California. According to the White House, California is projected to see its GDP increase by $11.7 billion during the next 10 years. Texas, despite its government officials filing the lawsuit, is the next U.S. state with the second-highest GDP projections with $8.2 billion.

Brown has signed legislation for the benefit of undocumented immigrants including the DREAM Act, which allows eligible immigrants to apply for college financial aid; AB60, which grants immigrants the legal right to drive California's roads; and he signed a bill providing legal counsel to unaccompanied children in the Golden State.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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