An El Paso district court judge has denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to shut down the Annunciation House network of migrant shelters in El Paso, saying the state failed to establish probable grounds.
In his ruling issued Tuesday morning, 205th District Judge Francisco Dominguez also said the AG’s office efforts to shut down the nonprofit organization on allegations that it is operating a stash house are “unenforceable,” stating those statutes are preempted by federal law.
The judge also called the state’s efforts to obtain documents from Annunciation House, which has deep ties to the Catholic church, “unconstitutionally vague,” saying they violate the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act by substantially burdening its “free exercise of religion.”
In recent months, Paxton and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have criticized Annunciation House and other Catholic organizations for providing services to migrants on the border. In an interview on “60 Minutes,” Pope Francis called Paxton’s efforts to close Annunciation House “madness.”
Paxton accused Annunciation House of operating “stash houses” and engaging in human trafficking – allegations vigorously disputed by Annunciation House and its supporters in El Paso.
The court conflict between Paxton and Annunciation House began on Feb. 7, when three representatives from the Attorney General’s Office served Annunciation House with a request to examine operational records.
The following day, Dominguez granted Annunciation House’s request for a temporary restraining order against the attorney general. Paxton countersued Annunciation House on Feb. 20, alleging the nonprofit failed to immediately respond to his requests for records and should be stripped of its ability to do business in Texas.
At the first hearing in the case on March 7, Dominguez suggested Paxton had “ulterior political motives” in seeking records from Annunciation House. Dominguez issued an order March 11 blocking further action by the Attorney General’s Office until he could review legal arguments, saying Paxton had “run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play.”
Annunciation House, a nonprofit organization, has been providing what it calls hospitality for migrants and refugees since 1978. It was founded by Ruben Garcia and others associated with the El Paso Catholic Diocese who drew inspiration from St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Federal border enforcement officials have long released migrants to Annunciation House after they’ve been processed and given a court date. The migrants generally stay in shelters for a day or two before their families or sponsors buy them bus or plane tickets.
Annunciation House was one of the primary sites used by the Trump administration to reunite children who had been separated from their parents in 2018.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The post El Paso judge rejects Ken Paxton’s efforts to shut down Annunciation House shelters appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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