(Texas Scorecard) – The Biden-Harris administration’s “parole in place” program has been temporarily blocked by an order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
The program seeks to provide a pathway to citizenship for more than one million select illegal aliens who are currently inside the country—200,000 of whom live in Texas.
The program has been characterized by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as “brazenly unlawful” and seeks to circumvent longstanding federal law.
However, per an order issued by the court, the federal government’s scheme has been frozen for 14 days, with the possibility of an extension in lieu of further litigation proceedings. The order was filed on Monday.
“We have temporarily blocked Biden’s unlawful new ‘parole in place’ program, which would have rewarded over 1 million illegal aliens with the opportunity for citizenship after breaking our country’s laws—and incentivized countless more,” stated Paxton.
“This is just the first step,” he continued. “We are going to keep fighting for Texas, our country, and the rule of law.”
The hold on the program follows a lawsuit filed by Paxton, along with attorneys general from 15 other states. The coalition submitted the complaint alongside America First Legal.
AFL President Stephen Miller also celebrated the court’s ruling, calling it a victory.
“This is a huge victory in our courtroom battle to block the Biden-Harris executive fiat giving over 1 million illegal aliens a path to U.S. citizenship,” Miller said. “That executive decree is now frozen.”
The Biden administration revealed the amnesty program earlier this year. Aimed at allowing illegal aliens to remain inside the country, it attempted to permit foreign nationals who were present in the United States for ten or more years and married to U.S. citizens to remain inside the country via granted parole.
Effectively, this would result in a change in illegal aliens’ residency status and allow them to remain in-country indefinitely. Typically, illegal aliens must return to their home country while awaiting visa approval. Paxton, 15 other states, and AFL filed a lawsuit on the grounds that this flouts congressional authority and is a violation of federal law.
With the court’s ruling, the program has been barred, at least temporarily, from taking effect as the case continues.