Barack Obama just had his scepter slapped.

In what’s being described as an “evisceration” of the Obama Regime’s argument that it possesses the authority and “discretion” to grant amnesty and benefits to millions of illegal aliens unilaterally, Federal Judge Andrew S. Hanen has temporarily halted Executive Amnesty. Included in a reportedly “scathing,” 123-page opinion, Judge Hanen said this:

“The DHS was not given any ‘discretion by law’ to give 4.3 million removable aliens what the DHS itself labels as ‘legal presence,’ ” Judge Hanen wrote in issuing an injunction. “In fact, the law mandates that these illegally-present individuals be removed. The DHS has adopted a new rule that substantially changes both the status and employability of millions. These changes go beyond mere enforcement or even non-enforcement of this nation’s immigration scheme.”

“While [the program] does not provide legal permanent residency, it certainly provides a legal benefit in the form of legal presence (plus all that it entails) — a benefit not otherwise available in immigration laws,” the judge wrote. “In this case, actions speak louder than words.”

“The court finds that the government’s failure to secure the border has exacerbated illegal immigration into this country,” Hanen wrote. “Further, the record supports the finding that this lack of enforcement, combined with the country’s high rate of illegal immigration, significantly drains the states’ resources.”