A federal judge on Thursday dealt a significant blow to the Biden-Harris administration's plan to grant a sweeping amnesty to at least 550,000 illegal aliens currently residing in the United States.
Earlier this year, a coalition of 16 Republican-led states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and America First Legal filed a lawsuit against the administration over the “Keeping Families Together” program. Blaze News previously reported that the program would provide amnesty to spouses of illegal immigrants and stepchildren of American citizens.
“Once again, we thwarted the Biden-Harris Administration's radical attempts to destroy America's borders and undermine the rule of law.”
Additionally, the program would grant parole to beneficiaries, allowing them to remain in the country while their status is adjusted.
The lawsuit, filed by 16 state attorneys general, argues that the administration's claim that the law applies to about 550,000 illegal aliens is “likely a material underestimate,” and that They predict the number could approach 1.3 million.
The lawsuit argued that the process is unconstitutional because it circumvents Congress and causes “irreparable harm” to communities in each state.
U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker, a Trump appointee, supported the state's lawsuit and condemned the program.
in him 74 page judgmentBarker said the administration's plan “focuses on what went wrong in identifying 'vital public interest,' that is, the benefits of the alien's new legal status, rather than the alien's presence in this country.” I'm guessing,” he said.
“This rule exceeds its statutory authority and is not in accordance with the law for this reason,” he concluded, adding, “Defendants' opinion stretches legal interpretation beyond the breaking point.”
“The court declared that the defendant lacked the legal authority to grant 'adequate' parole to the alien,” Barker said. I wrote.
America First Legal Executive Director Gene Hamilton said“From its inception, the Biden-Harris Administration has been dedicated to destroying our immigration system and dismantling our borders.”
“Time and time again, our state has stood up. And today, the great state of Texas and our brave Ken Paxton, along with a coalition of other brave attorneys general, would grant amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. “We successfully stopped the illegal program and paved the way for the largest executive pardon in American history,” Hamilton added.
Paxton wrote in the following post דOnce again, we thwarted the Biden-Harris Administration's radical attempt to destroy America's borders and undermine the rule of law. We look forward to the day when the federal government begins to follow the law again.”
The administration's Justice Department could decide to appeal Barker's ruling.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded. CBS News” Request for comments.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
