MISSION, Texas—Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he is teeing up more lawsuits against the Biden administration for not enforcing immigration law.
With five lawsuits already filed, Paxton said he hopes to force the administration to follow the laws Congress has in place.
“There’s a reason that we’ve sued the Biden administration five times over immigration—tremendous harm is being done to this state, tremendous harm is being done to this nation,” Paxton said during a press conference at the U.S.–Mexico border on April 28. “We’re going to do our best to force the federal government to follow the very laws that they passed.”
Paxton criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for not traveling to the border to see first-hand the effects of their policies.
“It seems like they’re trying to hide a lot of what’s going on. They’re very, very secretive. They’re not letting us know who’s coming in, who’s leaving,” Paxton said.
“If they’re going to have this open border policy, we’re going to be affected by it every day.”
Harris, who has been charged with solving the border crisis, has said she’s focusing on the “root causes” of migration from Central American countries, rather than the immediate issues.
On April 25, when a reporter asked Harris why she hasn’t visited the southern border, she replied, “I’m not going to play political games.”
The administration has been under fire for its rapid dismantling of many of former President Donald Trump’s border security measures.
The number of unaccompanied alien children illegally crossing the border reached a record high in March, with 18,663 children apprehended by Border Patrol—more than double that of February.
A total of more than 168,000 illegal aliens were apprehended by Border Patrol in March, overwhelming facilities and pulling Border Patrol off the border to deal with humanitarian issues.
“This is just a launching point” for the cartels, Paxton said. “They get across the river with their drugs or … whatever they’re smuggling, and it’s going around the country.
“So Americans may think this is a border problem—and certainly it is most intense here, and it affects us maybe more—but it ultimately does affect the entire country.”
Previous Lawsuits Filed
Paxton was quick to sue the Biden administration on Jan. 22 over its day one memorandum suspending the deportation of most illegal aliens. A federal court ruled in favor of Paxton and blocked the suspension, saying the Lone Star state would be harmed by the moratorium.
On April 6, Texas and Louisiana sued the Biden administration for its alleged refusal to take custody of illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes after the administration set rules narrowing its immigration enforcement priorities.
The two attorneys general argue that the memoranda failed to prioritize detention of criminal aliens with final orders of removal, criminal aliens convicted of drug offenses, or criminal aliens convicted of crimes of moral turpitude.
A week later, the Texas attorney general was joined by Missouri in a lawsuit seeking to reinstate Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) program to curb the surge of illegal immigrants at the border. The Biden administration stopped adding individuals to MPP a day after Biden’s inauguration.
MPP, also known as Remain in Mexico, required illegal aliens to wait in Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings. Before MPP, thousands of illegal immigrants were released into the United States to await their cases, often disappearing into the country and not showing up to their court dates.
On April 22, Paxton sued the Biden administration for disregarding its own COVID-19 rules while handling the surge of illegal immigrants. He alleged that the U.S. government abandoned its own rules “without any meaningful justification or explanation,” resulting in the release of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States without testing them for coronavirus.
Thirteen states joined Texas to file an emergency application with the Supreme Court on March 30 asking to be allowed to defend the so-called public charge rule in court proceedings after the Biden administration decided not to defend it.
The public charge rule, which requires prospective immigrants to be able to support themselves financially, has been heavily litigated in federal courts. The Supreme Court stayed a lower court’s injunction against the rule in January 2020, allowing it to be enforced, pending disposition of the government’s appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
Paxton said taxpayers in his state are forking out more than $850 million each year to pay for various costs associated with the housing and care of immigrants who enter Texas illegally.
Hooray, do more TX Bravo
I believe that the federal government should be responsible for the “illegal” aliens that are in this country by omission of their own rules and laws. This is the United States and we should all stand together to support the laws and regulations of our land. This should, undoubtedly be upheld by the ones that determine and subject everything to these laws and restrictions. These are “country” initiatives, not individual state rules. Our political factions are subjecting us to health violations, funding and support jeopardies and as well, some criminal activities and increased drug flow. All this while tying the hands of the law enforcement agencies directed, by law to stop the flow. I don’t for the life of me, know how these politicians can justify themselves in allowing our own laws and regulations to be ignored. A very sad state of affairs… Maybe that’s why the Biden Group didn’t call his address the “State of the Union” address, as normally it would be called.
Has anyone looked at the states to which the illegals are being transported? To red states or purple states? I haven’t heard anyone say.
No one talks about the amount of money these pay the cartels to come to the US Where do these so called hurting people get all the money to pay for entry? No one mentions that, why?
Now Biden has collared the Houston Chief of Police to take charge of the Immigration problem. A sympathizer scape goat to take the blame when he fails so they can point to him as the problem.
Finally someone willing to stand up to Biden and do what is RIGHT!!
Good something needs to be done. They need to impeach both of them no good for nothing. But to destroy are country
Instead of paying or providing housing and food for illegals, hire a fleet of airplanes, fill them with illegals and fly them nonstop to D.C. Let them handle their new crisis!
Why don’t Texas Enforcement fill busses with the people and carry them to Washington
I am in full support of the AG of Texas. All of these “children” and illegals need to be shipped back to their home countries. Yes, I said Illegal because that is exactly what they are.
Stay strong Texas!
I hate to throw a monkey wrench into the mix here. I am in full support of stopping this BS. I know and we all know that lawsuits and words are just that, “busy words”. The Left are becoming masters at everything they do. They organize and deceive then just keep moving the goal posts until they win. On the other hand, Republicans never get together as a single UNITED force. When the Republican Party is in the majority they keep falling flat on their faces and do not accomplish anything permanent. Short sightedness and disunity from within our ranks seem to prevail for election cycle through election cycle. For example the “never Trump” swamp hogs that undermine Conservative endeavors just to go along to get along. The septic bowl is full of them! Useless elected members of the House and the Senate that are terrified about losing their jobs, fill the air with “busy words’ AND NO GUTS. Candidates we keep pushing to the forefront are GUTLESS wonders just keeping their jobs! To name a few, John McCain should never been anointed as a Senator, because of his father and having been a POW… did not make him Senatorial material. Bob Dole wonderful man to say the least but not presidential material, Mitt Romney what a laugh a RINO to be sure. Both Bush’s were purely Big OIL money RINO’S and ALL of them DID NOT A DAMNED THING!
IT IS TIME TO STAND AND FIGHT!