President Obama’s executive actions on immigration have generated undue controversy, Professor Anil Kalhan said in The Hill on Jan. 25.

“For decades, people who have deferred action have always been able to apply for a work permit,” Kalhan said, referring to provisions of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that makes unauthorized aliens eligible to work in the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Jan. 19 to review a Fifth Circuit ruling that granted a preliminary injunction against the executive actions sought by Texas and 24 other states.     

Filings made with the Supreme Court have corrected errors that were made in lower-court filings, said Kalhan, who contends the executive actions are important by promoting the rule of law and reinforcing consistency, transparency and accountability on the part of those who enforce immigration laws.

Kalhan is an authority on immigration law and comparative constitutional law.  He chairs the New York City Bar Association’s International Human Rights Committee.