Texas judge blocks Biden plan for migrant spouses

A federal judge in Texas has issued an order temporarily halting a new immigration programme from the Biden White House that officials say could protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation.

The 14-day stay issued on Monday comes in response to a lawsuit from 16 Republican-led states that sued the Biden administration over the programme.

The "Keeping Families Together" programme, which took effect last week, would apply to those who have been in the country for at least 10 years and allow them to work in the US legally.

Polls show that the immigration is a primary concern for many voters ahead of November's presidential election.

When the White House announced the new programme in June, officials said that more than 500,000 spouses would be eligible.