Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading a multi-state lawsuit against the Biden administration over a new program to invite 360,000 migrants on parole a year.
Filed through a federal district court in Victoria, Texas, on Tuesday, the suit specifically targets the Department of Homeland Security's intention to allow in 30,000 migrants annually from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela each.
"The Biden open borders agenda has created a humanitarian crisis that is increasing crime and violence in our streets, overwhelming local communities, and worsening the opioid crisis," Paxton stated.
"This unlawful amnesty program, which will invite hundreds of thousands of aliens into the U.S. every year, will only make this immigration crisis drastically worse," he added.
Paxton is joined by 19 other state prosecutors, including Florida Attorney Ashley Moody, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
In their lawsuit, the red states argued that the Biden administration overstepped its executive power in unilaterally establishing the program, failing all three of Congress' "limiting factors" on the DHS.
"It is not case-by-case, is not for urgent humanitarian reasons, and advances no significant public benefit," the filing read. "Instead, it amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has defended the program, which President Joe Biden announced as part of a plan to continue using Title 42 public-health-based expulsions.
According to the DHS, eligibility steps include having a U.S.-based supporter and a willingness to undergo security vetting. If approved, migrants will receive a work permit and can stay in the country while they request asylum for up to two years.
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