[BOISE] – Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are leading 14 other states in a suit filed in a Texas U.S. District Court demanding an end to the Biden-Harris Administration’s massive overreach through the Parole-in-Place (PIP) Program. This program is traditionally administered on a case-by-case basis to allow aliens who entered the country without authorization to remain in the United States, specifically for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. However, under the expansion of the PIP program, the Biden administration will allow certain undocumented aliens to remain in the country temporarily to apply for a spousal/child green card without having to leave the United States.
“The new interpretation of the Parole in Place program further encourages illegal immigration and imposes undue financial burdens on our states. The Biden-Harris administrations is once again ignoring the Constitution and existing federal immigration law,” said Attorney General Labrador. “There are families waiting patiently and respectfully abroad while their applications are being lawfully processed. We cannot choose to reward those who break the law instead.”
The filed complaint states, “Longstanding federal law prohibits aliens who entered the United States unlawfully from obtaining most immigration benefits. This includes obtaining lawful permanent resident status—without first leaving the United States and waiting outside the United States for the requisite time—based upon an approved family-based or employment-based visa petition. These provisions of law established by Congress serve as powerful disincentives for individuals to cross the border unlawfully. Indeed, were they not present, there would be no practical reason for any alien to abide by the law, wait his or her turn, and only come to the United States when the law provides.”
Under PIP, the Biden-Harris Administration would now allow a certain category of aliens living here illegally with the intention to apply for legal status to obtain green cards and remain on U.S. soil indefinitely while waiting adjudication and processing of their case.
Idaho and Texas were joined by the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Texas.
To read the filing, click here.