Texas judge questions AG’s ‘true motivation’ as he rules against bid to shutter non-profit helping migrants

A judge in Texas has ruled in favour of a non-profit organisation sheltering migrants on the US-Mexico border after the state’s Attorney General ordered it to hand over a large number of records.

AG Ken Paxton said in February that his office believed Annunciation House was helping people to illegally enter the United States, “alien harbouring” and people smuggling.

The non-profit, which operates migrant shelters in and around El Paso, asked for more time to hand over the files requested by Mr Paxton’s office.

The Attorney General then announced his office was suing Annunciation House, seeking to revoke its licence to operate.

However, on Thursday El Paso County District Judge Francisco X. Dominguez abruptly put a stop to Mr Paxton’s efforts.

“The Attorney General’s efforts to run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play, call into question the true motivation for the Attorney General’s attempt to prevent Annunciation House from providing the humanitarian and social services that it provides,” the judge said in his ruling.

“There is a real and credible concern that the attempt to prevent Annunciation House from conducting business in Texas was predetermined.”

Neither Ken Paxton’s office nor Annunciation House returned requests for further comment from The Independent before publication. Judge Dominguez has ordered the AG’s office to go through the courts if it wishes to continue its investigation.

When the lawsuit was announced on 20 February, Mr Paxton said his office had “complete and unlimited authority” to examine business records and that failure to comply with a request could lead to termination of its right to operate within Texas.

The AG then immediately brought up the issues