A federal appeals court in Atlanta has upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a government program that allows local authorities to enforce federal immigration law.

The ruling issued this month by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the court found no legal error in the district court's opinions. The lawsuit named local and federal government officials and claimed the program, known as 287(g), is unconstitutional and should be halted.

A federal judge had dismissed the complaint in October, saying the one Salvadoran and two Mexican citizens who filed the suit lacked standing because they couldn't "allege an imminent threat of future harm."

One of their attorneys had no immediate comment Thursday, but local and federal officials applauded the court's decision.

Tags: 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, immigration, lawsuit, 287g program