A judge criticized Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempts to close down one of the oldest and largest migrant shelters on the U.S.-Mexico border in a scathing ruling Tuesday. The judge described Paxton's claims that the shelter encourages illegal entry into the U.S. as "outrageous" conduct, The Associated Press reports. Judge Francisco Dominguez ruled that Paxton’s attempts to enforce a subpoena for records of migrants who have been served at Annunciation House in the last few years violated the El Paso shelter’s constitutional rights. His ruling prevents Paxton from seeking the records and protects the shelter from what Dominguez called “harassment and overreaching” by Paxton’s office. Annunciation House is one of several nonprofit groups that help migrants from which Paxton’s office has sought information.
Paxton alleged that by providing shelter to migrants regardless of their legal status, Annunciation House was facilitating illegal immigration and human smuggling, and operating a stash house. State officials visited the El Paso shelter in February demanding immediate access to records of migrants who had received services there. Officials from Annunciation House said they were willing to comply but needed time to determine what they could legally share without violating their clients’ constitutional rights. Investigators who sought to access records the day after requesting entry were not allowed inside the shelter. Jerry Wesevich, the attorney for Annunciation House, said that corporations under the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.