Texas judge quotes 'Bridge of Spies' while ordering 100,000 immigrants to hand over their personal details

‘My name’s Donovan, Irish, both sides, mother and father. I’m Irish, you’re German, but what makes us both Americans? Just one thing… the rulebook’

Many of the beneficiaries of Obama's 2014 ruling came to the US as children (Getty)

A federal judge in Texas has quoted extensively from Hollywood films to support his ruling that 100,000 immigrants hand over their contact information.

Judge Andrew Hanen quoted from the film “Bridge of Spies” to argue that all immigrants are only American if they abide by the "rules".

"My name’s Donovan, Irish, both sides, mother and father. I’m Irish, you’re German, but what makes us both Americans? Just one thing… the rulebook."

He also cited script from 1947 film "Miracle on 34th Street" to illustrate that lawyers should not lie in court.

His bugbear is that the Justice Department allegedly deceived him by not informing him that immigrants who came to the US as children, and who have to reapply every two years to stay in the US, will now have to apply every three years instead.

He is now demanding the Justice Department turn over personal information and addresses of more than 100,000 beneficiaries of the new three-year program between November 2014 and March 2015.

Mr Hanen said he would keep the information private but “on a showing of good cause“ he would “release the list or a portion thereof to” state authorities in one of the 26 states that sued the Obama administration to halt the program.

The judge filed his case in Brownsville, southern Texas, in reaction to the president’s November 2014 order that 4.9 million undocumented immigrants would have the right to temporarily work and live in the US.

Despite not filing the case in the capital of Austin, the plaintiff in the case is named as “Texas” and the defendants as “United States of America et al.”

He has also ordered hundreds of lawyers, many of whom have never been to Texas, to attend a remedial ethics courses, to prevent the alleged misconduct from happening again.

He quoted script from the “beloved movie" "Miracle on 34th Street".

“The Judge: 'Tommy, you know the difference between telling the truth and telling a lie, don’t you?'

“Tommy Mara Jr.: 'Gosh, everybody knows you shouldn’t tell a lie, especially in court.'

“(Spectators chucking).”

It is likely the Department of Justice will appeal Mr Hanen’s order, according to Think Progress.