Federal Judge Declares DACA Program Unlawful Calling a popular Obama-era program that shields qualifying immigrants from deportation “legally defective,” a federal judge in Texas on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to stop approving new applications for the program and make changes to it. In this Nov. 12, 2019 photo, immigrant youth and advocates rally to the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton on the day of the Supreme Court's hearing on DACA in Austin, Texas. (Lola Gomez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File) HOUSTON (CN) — The judge bought Texas’ claims of economic harm. He determined Texas has standing because undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program make the state's labor market more competitive, making it harder for legal residents to find work.