The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that they would delay planned immigration executive orders after a federal judge in Texas ordered a halt. Judge Andrew S. Hanen said Obama had “failed to comply with basic administrative procedures” before announcing the initiative, which would provide temporary deportation reprieves and work permits to almost 5 million undocumented immigrants. Hanen, who has previously said immigration “endangers America,” is representative of a widespread xenophobic sentiment that is damaging the United States. Though many believe that immigrants harm the economy, immigrants have repeatedly proven their social and economic value, and if America is to adjust to a modern social reality, it must not automatically shun those who come here seeking a better life.

There are nearly 1.7 million undocumented immigrants in Texas, 15.2 percent of the national total and the second highest number of any state after 2.45 million in California. Immigration has long been a contentious issue in this conservative state that has fallen along partisan lines. President George W. Bush, a republican, appointed Hanen, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott led 26 states in the initial suit against the Obama administration after the executive order was announced in November 2014. They claimed states’ rights came into play with Arizona law S.B. 1070 as well, which was heavily criticized for encouraging racial profiling yet upheld federally by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Despite the fears of conservative legislators, research shows that the proposed work permits would have a positive economic impact. The research also found that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are 30 percent more likely to start a business than U.S. natives. They also contribute  heavily to the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, in addition to contributing around $10.6 billion in state and local taxes each year.

Right now, half of all field and crop workers in the United States are undocumented workers and have lower annual incomes than authorized workers. Agribusiness lobbyists argue that a change in immigration policy would inevitably lead to a rise in food prices because it would raise the cost of production. While this may be true, these companies’ profit margins have been steadily growing since the 1990s at the cost of the livelihoods of undocumented workers.

The question of states’ rights has been a contentious issue since the founding of the United States, but the benefits of increased immigration are clear. States should not stand in the way of something that only has economic benefits. This cannot be reduced to another partisan issue like affirmative action or gun control. The Obama administration should push forward with the planned immigration reforms.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 18 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].