( CNN ) Here 's the hard reality about illegal immigration : Politicians can change policies . Judges can issue decisions . But the issue will not go away until Americans change their behavior . Trial lawyers have a favorite saying : `` When you have the facts on your side , you pound the facts into the table . When you have the law on your side , you pound the law into the table . When neither the facts nor the law are on your side , you pound the table ! '' In November , when President Obama announced that he would take executive actions to re-prioritize the enforcement of immigration laws so that some illegal immigrants could obtain a three-year delay in their deportation proceedings and a temporary work permit , critics had neither the facts nor the law on their side . So they pounded the table . Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators charged that Obama was pushing an `` unlawful amnesty '' that threatened the republic . Yet most of the law professors and legal experts who weighed in , even the conservatives , acknowledged that Obama was acting within the power of the presidency . Critics did n't seem to have a legal leg to stand on . That is , until this week . In Texas , a federal judge temporarily blocked Obama 's executive action and cleared the way for a lawsuit against the administration brought by that state and 25 others . U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen , a George W. Bush appointee with a history of taking conservative positions on immigration issues , bought the plaintiffs ' argument that Obama 's executive actions would unfairly result in `` direct damages '' to the states . Hanen claimed that Obama 's executive action could result in `` bestowing multiple and otherwise unobtainable benefits '' on those illegal immigrants who qualify for deferred action . This would include the undocumented parents of U.S.-born children . Yet , most so-called `` benefits '' — driver 's licenses , college aid , medical care — come not from the federal government but from the states , and at their discretion . In all , Hanen 's ruling went on for 123 pages . Still , he ducked the central question : whether the President had exceeded the authority granted to the office under the Constitution . Instead , the judge ruled that the administration had not complied with the Administrative Procedure Act , which calls for a longer notification and comment period from lawmakers and the public before taking action . Imagine if there had been a comment period before acting in the war on terror . Buildings would be smoldering , and we 'd still be talking . The White House -- while saying that it would abide by the judge 's ruling — also reiterated that the President was `` well within his legal authority '' to set enforcement priorities . The Justice Department intends to appeal the decision . This case could end up before the Supreme Court , where most of the justices have smiled on expanding executive power . The coalition of states that brought the lawsuit — which is led by Texas — includes 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 . It figures that , when there 's a mess , Texas will be in the middle of it . I lived there for five years — about a decade ago — while writing for the Dallas Morning News . And I smell hypocrisy . During my time in the Lone Star State , I often heard people complain about illegal immigrants . But I never heard them say a word about the employers who hire them to do jobs that Texans wo n't do such as tarring roofs in 100-degree weather or cleaning windows on skyscrapers . The folks doing the hiring are always the root of the problem , but — in a red state like Texas — you ca n't get Republicans to say that . It 's safer for politicians to pick on people who do n't vote than to risk antagonizing those who not only vote but also contribute money to campaigns . The states that brought this lawsuit are worried that , if Obama allows some illegal immigrants to remain in this country for three years , they 'll have to pick up the tab for providing services . Where was this concern over the many years that these states were standing on the positive side of the ledger by benefiting from illegal immigrant labor — so much so that they turned a blind eye to the employers and businesses using it ? How did these 26 states wind up with so many illegal immigrants ? The undocumented did n't go there for the scenery . They went because someone was waiting there to offer them a job . We never talk about that , or do anything about it . And so , no matter what courts decide or politicians decree , the problem of illegal immigration will never go away . That 's the truth that needs to be pounded into the table .
Judge blocks implementation of Obama 's immigration executive actions . Comment: