In a new lawsuit, Paxton accuses Annunciation House of aiding and abetting illegal migrants by not only helping to create passageways for them to illegally enter the country through Texas but also providing aid and housing for them in a special "stash house."
Established in the 1980s, Annunciation House describes itself as a volunteer organization that "offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees in El Paso, Texas." Paxton wants to see the group's registration to operate in the Lone Star State revoked.
"Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the volunteers of Annunciation House live simply and in community, in the same houses as the guests we serve, who are mostly from Mexico and Central America," reads the website of Annunciation House.
"We also participate in advocacy and education around immigration issues. We seek to be a voice for justice and compassion, especially on behalf of the most marginalized of our society."
(Related: Did you know that Eagle Pass, Tex., the location of the Texas showdown with the federal government over illegal immigration, is the first U.S. city that will see full totality in the upcoming April 8 eclipse, creating an X marks the spot right over Cairo, Ill., aka Little Egypt, and ground zero for the New Madrid fault line?)
Annunciation House countersues Paxton for violating its "constitutional rights of association"
Paxton's lawsuit claims that Annunciation House is "openly and flagrantly violating many provisions of law in a systemic fashion," specifically by providing shelter to migrants as they trek across the hot Texas deserts.
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"Annunciation House appears to be engaged in the operation of an illegal stash house by potentially allowing others to use its real estate to engage in human smuggling," Paxton's lawsuit states.
Paxton's office requested records from the NGO to look for potential violations of federal law, but in response Annunciation House countersued Paxton's office seeking a restraining order. The group also accuses Paxton of making an impossible demand due to limited volunteer staff, not to mention that the request violates the "constitutional rights of association."
In a statement, Paxton condemned the "chaos at the southern border" that he says is facilitating "astonishing horrors including human smuggling."
"While the federal government perpetuates lawlessness destroying this country, my office works day in and day out to hold these organizations responsible for worsening illegal immigration," Paxton continued.
In its own statement, Annunciation House said its functions are biblical in nature, adding that it "does its work of accompaniment out of the Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger."
"This is no different from the work of schools who enroll migrant children, the clinics and hospitals who care for the needs of their ill, the churches, the synagogues, and mosques who welcome their families to join in worship," said an Annunciation House spokesperson to the media.
"For the attorney general to suddenly attack Annunciation House after 46 years of service to the poor is simply shameful," the group added.
In 2023, a record 2.4 million migrant encounters occurred at the southern border. This past December set a new record for migrant encounters with more than 301,000 recorded in that month alone.
The Republican-led House of Representatives impeached Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the migrant crisis. Articles of impeachment will now go to the Senate for a trial.
The latest news about illegal immigration in America can be found at InvasionUSA.news.
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