Amid ongoing tension between state authorities and non-profits working at the border, El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is pushing back against inquiries from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the latest development, the organization, which has been providing legal services to migrants for over three decades, has filed a federal lawsuit today against Paxton's office, as reported by KSAT. The non-profit alleges that the Attorney General's investigation poses a threat to their operations and their clients' confidentiality.
Las Americas has been accused of making "fraudulent and deceptive legal representations and services" in connection to the Biden administration's parole policies for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. According to El Paso Matters, this marks yet another instance in which Paxton targets entities offering support to migrants, with Las Americas being the fifth non-profit to be investigated this year by his office.
The Attorney General's probe taps into the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, being cited for the first time against a migrant-focused non-profit. Marisa Limón Garza, the Executive Director of Las Americas, made it clear in a statement obtained by El Paso Matters, "The attorney general’s attack against this work is troubling." The lawsuit also names that as a result of the ongoing investigation, the nonprofit may need to warn clients that their privacy could no longer be assured - a significant concern in the sensitive realm of immigration legal aid.
However, the Attorney General's Office has not immediately responded to requests for comment. In contrast, the Texas Civil Rights Project, representing Las Americas, has provided counsel, with their president, Rochelle Garza, offering a pointed critique. "We’re witnessing a disturbing pattern in Texas in which immigrant legal services and voting rights are under a coordinated siege by the Attorney General under the guise of protecting voter integrity," she told El Paso Matters. These actions come at a time when tensions over immigration policies and non-profits' roles in aiding migrants run particularly high.
Notably, Paxton's actions do not stand unchallenged. Past attempts to shut down organizations like Annunciation House, sharing founders with Las Americas, have largely been blocked by Texas judges. Adding to the contention is the involvement of the Civil Rights Project, whose president, Rochelle Garza, ran against Paxton in the 2022 attorney general election.
