A Texas judge has granted a stay on his order requiring the personal information of tens of thousands of young immigrants to be turned over to the court.

Judge Andrew Hanen's about face comes on the heels of intense pressure from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Hours earlier, the organization filed papers in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans seeking to block the judge's order stipulating that the names, addresses and other personal information of some 50,000 immigrant youth be made available to him.

All of targeted Youths are DACA Recipients

All of the youths targeted have received three years grants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) plan between November 2014 and February of the following year.

MALDEF was the only organization to legally intervene in the Texas vs. United States case. With the June 7 ruling, no information will be turned over to the court before Aug. 22, when Hanen plans to again consider the matter.

In the meantime, the organization plans to move forward with its appeal of the order.

"This order cannot survive an appeal because there is no legitimate basis for punishing innocent immigrant youth, who are not party to the case before Judge Hanen, in order to address alleged misconduct by attorneys for the United States," MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz said in a press release. "We are grateful that this egregious order will not go forward while the matter is appealed."

The judge has previously argued he wants all the information so he can consider the option of passing it along to the states who have sued the Obama Administration over Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and the expansion of DACA.

While Hanen hints his order is meant to sanction the government over the alleged misconduct of its attorneys, critics charge the people most harmed by it are the immigrant youths it targets.

"Today the voices of DACA recipients were front and center," said Nina Perales, MALDEF's vice president for litigation, who also argued the organization's case before Hanen. "We are pleased that Judge Hanen agreed to stay his order, and we look forward to pursuing the case on appeal in the Fifth Circuit."

MALDEF Argued President's Executive Action Case Before Supreme Court

Back in mid-April, MALDEF went before the Supreme Court to argue Texas vs. U.S., the the pivotal case challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's executive actions on immigration. In dispute is the president's legal authority in unilaterally enacting legislation that stands to provide deportation protections to millions of undocumented immigrants via both DACA and DAPA.

MALDEF represents South Texas mothers in the case, individuals who were the only parties granted intervention in the case and who intend to apply for DAPA once the matter has been favorably adjudicated.

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