TEXAS: A federal judge in Texas has turned down a challenge from Republican-led states against a program introduced by the Biden administration. This program allows hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to seek emergency entry into the United States.
Judge Drew Tipton, presiding over the US District Court in Victoria, Texas, stated that the 21 states, spearheaded by Texas, lacked the grounds to pursue their 2023 lawsuit. They failed to demonstrate any harm caused by the "parole" program, which permits up to 30,000 individuals monthly to enter the US.
According to statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about 234,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela had utilized this program by November. To qualify, migrants must have a US sponsor and arrive in the country by air.
Judge Tipton highlighted in his decision that illegal entries from these four countries had notably dropped by as much as 44 percent since the program's initiation. However, he refrained from delving into the lawsuit's merits, which argue that DHS overstepped its authority by implementing the program.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas commended the ruling, describing the parole program as "a vital component of our efforts to manage the unprecedented migration levels in our hemisphere."
The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, did not offer any comment on the verdict.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat running for re-election in the upcoming November polls, has aimed to expand legal routes to the US to deter potential migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border unlawfully.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, the party's nominee against Biden, have criticized the parole programs, arguing they exceed legal boundaries.
During Biden's presidency, record numbers of migrants have been apprehended crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. Republicans assert that Biden should have maintained Trump's stricter policies, while Biden contends that Republicans have failed to allocate sufficient border funding and pass legislation to bolster enforcement.
The states argued in their lawsuit that the federal government's parole authority is "exceedingly limited" and should only be employed on a case-by-case basis. They claimed they faced irreparable harm due to the increased cost of public services, such as law enforcement and emergency medical care, from the influx of arriving migrants.
UN Rights Chief Condemns Record Expansion of Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Territories