Texas has received more attention during the immigration reform debate. The Lone Star State encountered an influx of undocumented immigrant minors last summer, and its current governor and attorney general has been leading the efforts to halt the implementation of President Barack Obama's deferred action programs.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, during an address on the House of Representatives floor on June 3, made Texas his focus.

"What does that bumper sticker say? 'Don't Mess With Texas?' Well, I'm about to not follow that advice," said Gutierrez. "You see, Texas has put itself front and center in the national debate over immigration and is leading the way among the 26 states suing the federal government to stop the lawful and sensible executive actions introduced by the president."

Then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, and now led by current-Attorney General Ken Paxton, sued the federal government over Obama's November 2014 immigration executive actions, specifically the implementation of the updated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs.

The DACA and DAPA programs would provide approximately 4.9 million undocumented immigrants a temporary, but renewable, three-year stay in the U.S. pending on requirements set by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to Abbott and Paxton, the executive branch cannot create new laws, and the Obama administration defied the separation of powers.

Since launching the lawsuit, Abbott and Paxton received support from 25 states -- Alabama, 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.

On Feb. 16, two days before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency, one of three federal immigration agencies under the DHS, was to launch the new DACA guidelines programs, Texas Judge Andrew Hanen issued a temporary injunction on the federal government from implementing the two deferred action programs. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the temporary injunction, but the request was denied.

"Two out of the three judges [of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals] ruled that Texas would likely be found to have standing to bring the lawsuit because Texas would have to issue more drivers' licenses to long-term Texas residents," said Gutierrez. "Now, please note that we are not talking about free driver's licenses. We are talking about drivers' licenses at the same cost that everyone else pays. They could even raise prices, for all I care. But somehow, having more licensed drivers who can drive legally is an 'unreasonable burden' on the State of Texas according to the politicians who run the state."

According to Gutierrez, Texan Republican leaders do not want immigrants to "work on the books," pay local and national taxes and pay for a driver's license.

Gutierrez then spoke in Spanish, telling DACA and DAPA supporters, "Don't give up."

"There are Republican politicians in Texas and elsewhere trying to block our way towards implementation of DACA and DAPA and they want us to lose heart, lose patience, and lose our resolve," he said, originally in Spanish. "But we must stay strong and prepare ourselves and our brothers and sisters and our neighbors to be ready when -- eventually -- the court rules in favor of America's immigrants."

The congressman urged supporters, wherever they live, to help neighbors and themselves once the updated DACA guidelines and new DAPA programs are implemented.

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