Texas AG Rejects DHS Cease-And-Desist Order

(NewsReady.com) – Texas has become ground zero for the fight over immigration. Governor Greg Abbott (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) have made it clear they don’t intend to back down. That was once again on display when the AG responded to a demand from President Joe Biden’s administration recently.

On January 14, Jonathan Meyer, Homeland Security’s general counsel, sent a letter to Paxton about the dispute over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass. Four days prior, the Texas National Guard blocked off the 2.5-mile area on the Rio Grande River. Texas said it was asserting its authority over the area because Border Patrol had allegedly been using it to process migrants and put them on buses.

Meyer demanded Paxton immediately cease and desist and allow Border Patrol to enforce federal immigration law. He argued that not allowing agents to access the area violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which states that federal law supersedes state law when in conflict. The general counsel also said immigration enforcement is a federal power and has been held up by the Supreme Court.

On January 17, Paxton responded to Meyer and basically told him to pound sand. In a letter to Meyer, Paxton said his state would “continue utilizing its constitutional authority to defend” its territory. He went on to say the Department of Homeland Security was wasting its time and resources by suing Texas and suggested the federal agency use its time to enforce the law instead.

According to Paxton, Border Patrol officials are still allowed to render aid to migrants who are in distress; they just have to go through Texas officials first. He also slammed the administration for trying to blame the drowning deaths of a woman and two children on Texas officials when Border Patrol reportedly said Mexican officials had recovered their bodies from the water and there was no proof they ever made it into the US.

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