A Texas federal judge temporarily blocked a measure by new United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday (26) to stop the deportation of some immigrants for a period of 100 days.
Judge Drew Tipton, appointed by former President Donald Trump in the District of South Texas, has issued a temporary restraining order sought by Attorney General Ken Paxton. The order blocks policy across the country for 14 days, while the judge considers a broader state injunction request.
With this ruling, Tripton ordered ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), an agency that deals with immigration, to resume their deportations.
Shortly after taking office as president last Wednesday (20), the Democrat signed 17 executive orders to overturn policies instituted by the former White House occupant, including the suspension of most evictions for 100 days.
The moratorium, one of Biden’s campaign pledges, has prevented the majority of immigrants facing deportation from being deported from the United States, provided they have entered the country before November 1, 2020. The measure does not apply to those who pose a risk to national security or are suspected of terrorism or espionage.
The purpose of the hiatus was to allow ICE to reshape its enforcement priorities amid criticism from Democrats that Trump was using the agency to terrorize immigrants who had not committed serious or violent crimes. The Biden government must appeal the decision.
Republicans are already calling the court decision the new government’s first defeat in court. Paxton immediately celebrated the decision as a “victory” and described Biden’s decision as “a seditious leftist uprising.”
In a complaint filed Friday, Paxton said the state would suffer irreparable damage if the eviction freeze could take effect. The Republican said education and health costs would rise as more immigrants remain in Texas illegally.
Paxton also said the move violated an agreement he and Governor Greg Abbott signed with Ken Cuccinelli, then deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, less than two weeks before Biden’s inauguration.
During Trump’s presidency, states led by Democrats and other opponents of their immigration policies tried to delay many initiatives with legal challenges – now Texas must challenge Biden’s agenda in the same way.