(RepublicanPress.org) – In January 2023, President Joe Biden (D) announced a new immigration plan allowing up to 30,000 migrants per month from several countries to enter the United States and work for up to two years. To qualify, the prospects would have to apply from their home countries, pass a background check, and have proof of a US financial supporter. Soon after the announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and 20 other state attorneys general filed suit to block the enforcement of the program.
On March 8, The Texas Tribune reported that US District Judge Drew Tipton threw out the lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to prove that they had “suffered an injury” from the immigration program. Therefore, the judge determined that Paxton didn’t have “standing” for the suit. Tipton didn’t say whether the program, which would allow up to 360,000 people into the country per year, was legal or not. He simply said Texas didn’t prove it had the right to challenge it.
Texas federal judge dismisses Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Biden’s immigration program. https://t.co/dbFfgthBCs
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) March 8, 2024
The Texas AG claimed the plan would harm the state because the migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua would qualify for healthcare and public education from the state upon arrival. Attorneys for the Biden administration argued that the program opens a pathway for legal immigration, hopefully pulling those who want to enter the US from doing so illegally. In fact, the Tribune reported that more than 357,000 people have joined the program since last January — 13,990 of which listed Texas as their chosen destination.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 2,475,669 encounters at the southwest land border during fiscal 2023, compared to 2,378,944 the previous fiscal year. So far in the current fiscal year, there have been 961,537 encounters through January. It’s unclear what kind of effect the program will have on those numbers, as it’s only a year old.
Paxton hasn’t formally responded to the judge’s ruling or indicated what his next additional steps he might take.
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