Mexico condemns judge’s ruling halting Obama amnesty

Mexico condemned a federal judge’s decision this week to halt President Obama’s deportation amnesty, saying the court ruling denies fair treatment to illegal immigrant Mexicans who have worked supporting the American economy.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “regrets” Judge Andrew S. Hanen’s injunction, which halted the program just hours before the first applications were supposed to be accepted.

“These programs are a just remedy for millions of families and have the potential to strengthen the important contributions that Mexican immigrants make to the American economy and society,” the ministry said in its statement.

Judge Hanen late Monday issued an injunction blocking the new amnesty Mr. Obama announced in November, which would grant three-year legal status, work permits and Social Security numbers to illegal immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The amnesty would also expand a 2012 policy that has allowed hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers to gain tentative legal status and work permits.

Analysts say Mexicans make up a majority of the illegal immigrant population in the U.S., which is estimated to total between 11 million and 12 million. The Mexican government has for years pushed its northern neighbor to enact a legalization program so its citizens can remain in the U.S., and had begun issuing new Mexican identity documents to illegal immigrants to use to gain status under Mr. Obama’s amnesty.

The Foreign Ministry said it will keep watching to see if Judge Hanen’s injunction is lifted, and will keep its citizens up to date on their ability to apply to stay in the U.S.