The Obama administration received good news regarding their efforts to implement the president's two deferred action programs.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals announced it will expedite the process regarding the Obama administration's appeal against the temporary injunction ruling by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas' Brownsville Division. Hanen's temporary injunction, which was issued on Feb. 16, paused the administration's plans to implement the expanded guidelines of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs.

Those programs would grant approximately 4.9 million eligible undocumented immigrants the opportunity to stay in the U.S., avoid deportation for three years and obtain a work permit.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed a court hearing for April 17 to determine if the temporary injunction on Obama's immigration executive actions should be lifted.

Hanen's ruling went in favor of 26 states who are seeking to block the deferred action programs. The lawsuit, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, includes 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. Following the Fifth Circuit Court's announcement, Paxton said reiterated the lawsuit's mission against Obama's "illegal amnesty."

"The rule of law is at the very heart of our case against President Obama's lawless immigration action. We are a nation of laws, and we are proud to lead a bipartisan coalition of 26 states fighting this Administration's unilateral and unconstitutional use of executive power. We will vigorously oppose the president's illegal amnesty plan in court."

The lawsuit was originally set up by then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has since become the state's governor. On Tuesday, Abbott's office announced he filed an amicus brief against the Obama administration's appeal. The amicus brief was also signed by the governors of Louisiana, New Jersey and South Dakota.

"President Obama and his lawyers have shown an alarming lack of respect for the Rule of Law throughout this entire judicial process," Abbott said in a statement. "I expect their request for a stay to be denied so these proceedings can continue, and I am confident the case will ultimately result in victory not only for the State of Texas, but also for the Constitution of the United States."

__

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