U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton indefinitely banned the Biden administration’s efforts to put a 100 day pause on deportations of illegal immigrants.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously argued that the memorandum violated federal law resulting in Tipton issuing a two-week restraining order on the policy. Paxton pointed out that Texas had an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and they should be consulted on a policy such as this.
Biden had campaigned on the 100-day pause as part of a sweeping immigration agenda that includes a halt on border wall construction, an end to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
The broad “pause” would have had exceptions. It would exclude those who, according to a written finding by the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have engaged in terrorism or espionage or who pose a danger to national security. It would also exclude those who were not present in the U.S. before Nov. 1, 2020, those who agreed to waive the right to remain, and those whom the ICE director individually determined need to be removed by law.
But Texas argued the directive violates the Constitution and federal law as well as a contractual agreement between Texas and DHS signed in the final days of the Trump administration that the state would be consulted before reducing immigration enforcement or pausing deportations.
Paxton made it clear why the agreement is so important for Texas stating, “Our state defends the largest section of the southern border in the nation. Failure to properly enforce the law will directly and immediately endanger our citizens and law enforcement personnel.”
Report: On Day One, Biden to Push for Citizenship for 11 Million Illegal Immigrants
On his first day in office, Joe Biden will immediately introduce legislation offering a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal aliens, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The AP writes:
“If successful, the legislation would be the biggest move toward granting status to people in the country illegally since President Ronald Reagan bestowed amnesty on nearly 3 million people in 1986. Legislative efforts to overhaul immigration policy failed in 2007 and 2013.”
Ron Klain, Biden’s incoming chief of staff, confirmed that his boss would be sending an immigration bill to lawmakers “on his first day in office.”
The AP reports that immigration advocates recently received a briefing on the bill by Biden’s
deputy director for immigration on the White House Domestic Policy Council, Esther Olivarria.
“Domingo Garcia, former president of the League of Latin American Citizens, said Biden told advocates on a call Thursday that Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate may delay consideration of the bill and that they shouldn’t count on passage within 100 days,” reports the AP.
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DHS Announces "Equal Access" to Covid Vaccine for Illegal Immigrants
The DHS announced Monday that the agency would provide “equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines” for “undocumented immigrants.”
In a statement from the DHS released Monday they said “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine. DHS encourages all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines.”
The DHS statement continued:
To reach underserved and rural communities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in collaboration with federal partners, will coordinate efforts to establish and support fixed facilities, pop-up or temporary vaccination sites, and mobile vaccination clinics. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will not conduct enforcement operations at or near vaccine distribution sites or clinics. Consistent with ICE’s long-standing sensitive locations policy, ICE does not and will not carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Scalise said that this move amounts to a slap in the face for Americans waiting to get the vaccine.
He Said:
President Biden’s plan to vaccinate illegal immigrants ahead of Americans who are currently being denied the COVID-19 vaccine is a slap in the face to millions of hard-working families who have been waiting months for the vaccine and expect Washington leaders to be looking out for them. This pattern of President Biden putting non-citizens ahead of American citizens is even more disturbing after last week’s actions that put foreign jobs over American jobs; now he is making Americans wait to get the vaccine behind people who came here illegally. Even worse, this comes on top of the recent exposure of the Biden administration’s original plan to prioritize vaccinating terrorists at Guantanamo Bay over Americans here at home. It is time that President Biden puts Americans first when it comes to protecting the hard-working families who are counting on Washington to put them first.
“President Biden must abandon this ridiculous plan and instead focus on getting the elderly, the vulnerable, frontline workers, and other essential Americans vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Scalise added.
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