Texas Gov. Rick Perry has written to state agencies calling a new Obama administration immigration policy "a slap in the face to the rule of law."
In a letter sent Monday, Perry said the White House's "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program doesn't change Texas policies.
Last week, young illegal immigrants around the state and nation formed long lines to begin applying for work permits under the policy.
It defers deportations for that group if they meet certain criteria, including arrival in the United States before they turned 16 and no convictions for certain crimes.
Perry wrote that the policy confers "absolutely no legal status whatsoever to any alien."
He said it "does not undermine or change our state laws" and that he expects all agencies to keep enforcing them.
