A US federal judge handed a victory to President Barack Obama late Tuesday, throwing out a lawsuit over controversial actions he took last month shielding millions of undocumented migrants from deportation. The suit brought by Joseph Arpaio, the conservative sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, challenging the constitutionality of the president's actions, was dismissed by Judge Beryl Howell.
"The plaintiff's case raises important questions regarding the impact of illegal immigration on this nation, but the questions amount to generalised grievances which are not proper for the judiciary to address," Howell's ruling in the case read. The White House late Tuesday praised the court's finding.
"Judge Howell's decision today confirms what the Department of Justice and scholars throughout the country have been saying all along: the president's executive actions on immigration are lawful," said Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz in a statement. "The Supreme Court and Congress have made clear that federal officials can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws, and the actions announced by the president are consistent with those taken by administrations of both parties for the last half century," Schultz said. "The court correctly dismissed Sheriff Arpaio's lawsuit." Pledging to fix America's "broken" immigration system, Obama last month offered five million undocumented migrants protection from deportation, allowing families to emerge from the shadows and seek work permits.