16 States Sue Biden
On Friday, a coalition of state attorneys general from Texas, Idaho, and 14 other states took legal action against the Biden-Harris administration over a newly implemented immigration policy. This policy, known as “Keeping Families Together,” offers a pathway to citizenship for up to 1 million illegal immigrants without requiring them to first leave the United States.
The policy, which went into effect this week, was initially introduced by the White House in June. It permits 500,000 families and an additional 50,000 stepchildren under the age of 21 who are already in the country unlawfully to apply for lawful permanent residency while remaining in place.
Attorneys General and officials from America First Legal argue that this policy contravenes the Administrative Procedures Act and other legal principles. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton criticized the policy, stating, “Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, the federal government is undermining our borders and laws. I will not stand idly by while Biden’s policy grants citizenship to individuals who entered the country unlawfully. This policy is unconstitutional and exacerbates the illegal immigration crisis impacting Texas and the entire nation.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, is supported by Attorneys General from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming. The lawsuit argues that the Biden administration is circumventing the legislative framework established by Congress and attempting to create its own immigration system for political reasons. It asserts that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have the authority to parole large numbers of aliens, as the new policy allows, and that such measures only serve to incentivize illegal immigration.
Stephen Miller of America First Legal condemned the policy as “brazenly unlawful,” warning that it exacerbates the border crisis and pledging to use every available legal means to challenge it.
