Attorney General Ken Paxton by Gage Skidmore / Flickr (Left), Annunciation House / Facebook (Right)
Texas’ Supreme Court ruled May 30 that Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton may proceed with an investigation into a Catholic nonprofit amid claims that the organization aids migrants in crossing the border illegally.
CatholicVote previously reported that Paxton demanded records from Annunciation House, located near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, in February 2024. According to a timeline of the litigation on Annunciation House’s website, the organization postponed the request while it asked a court to determine which documents Paxton’s office could access.
El Paso Times reported that Annunciation House had initially refused to comply with Paxton’s order because some documents contained private information belonging to the migrants served by the organization.
Paxton accused Annunciation House in February 2024 of illegally concealing migrants and filed a lawsuit in May 2024. His office said at the time that it “reviewed and obtained sworn testimony indicating that Annunciation House’s operations are designed to facilitate illegal border crossings and to conceal illegally present aliens from law enforcement.”
El Paso Times reported that despite a previous permanent injunction issued by a district court that barred Paxton from accessing the private records, the all-Republican state Supreme Court ruled that the injunction was “premature at best.”
“Our primary holding is that the attorney general has the constitutional authority to file his proposed quo warranto action, which simply allows the usual litigation process to unfold,” the court stated in its 65-page ruling, sending the case back to the district court for further proceedings.
Paxton stated that his win was a victory “for Texas, secure borders, and the rule of law.”
“Annunciation House has flagrantly violated our laws by harboring illegal aliens and assisting them to enter further into our country,” he added. “This cannot be allowed to continue, and I will do everything in my power to stop them and any other NGO breaking our laws.”
According to El Paso Times, Annunciation House officials have stated in court that they have not broken any laws. An attorney for the organization also stated before the state Supreme Court that Annunciation House has never hidden migrants from law enforcement.
El Paso Times also reported that El Paso City Council Reps. Chris Canales and Josh Acevedo, whose elected positions are non-partisan, and El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, a Democrat, considered Paxton’s actions to be an “abuse of power.”
“Today’s State Supreme Court ruling allowing Ken Paxton to harass Annunciation House with an aimless investigation is deeply disappointing and the wrong direction for our community,” the city leaders said in a May 30 joint statement, according to El Paso Times. “The state supreme court has allowed the attorney general to abuse the powers of his office to target an organization that has done nothing but provide necessary humanitarian services and dignity to the most vulnerable people in our community.”
