The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s administration in an effort to overturn a recently implemented asylum rule, arguing that the app allows migrants to schedule border appointments to enter the United States. which encourage illegal immigration.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday is the latest legal challenge attacking aspects of the federal government’s plan to deal with immigration after the pandemic-era ban on asylum, known as Title 42, was lifted.
In the complaint, Texas argues that the asylum rule encourages the use of a cell phone app — named CBP One — so that immigrants who do not have the proper documentation can make an appointment to arrive at a port of entry and be brought into the United States. want to enter. got included in.
Texas claims that Washington is basically encouraging people to come to the US even if they do not have a legal basis to stay.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a press release, “The Biden administration intentionally designed this app with the goal of illegally pre-approving more aliens to enter the country.”
The complaint was filed in the Western District of Texas.
Although the lawsuit revolves around the app, it seeks to strike down the entire new asylum plan. The rule went into effect after Title 42 expired on May 11. The order makes it extremely difficult for migrants traveling to the southern border to obtain asylum if they have not first applied for protection in the country they pass through on their way to the United States or if they Do not apply through
The use of the app is a fundamental part of the government’s plan to create a more orderly system at the border, where migrants would have to make appointments in advance, but when the app was launched in January it was hit by technical problems and its hard work. There was criticism. The fact is that since then the demand has far exceeded the available places. Immigrants can make appointments for a particular port of entry, of which there are five in Texas.
Texas argues that, under federal law, people who enter the country illegally – with rare exceptions – should be repatriated, but the app does not check whether the migrant making the appointment would be eligible for exceptions Or not. The state argues that the Biden administration’s use of the app essentially encourages people to come to the United States, even if they are not eligible. Texas also argues that it faces a financial burden from immigrants entering the country for things like health care or education.
The new rule regarding asylum has also been criticized by rights groups, who argue that the United States has an obligation to provide asylum to those in urgent need. They have filed a lawsuit in which they also seek to quash the measure. Texas is also part of a lawsuit accusing the federal government of exceeding its authority by allowing 360,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the United States each year on humanitarian parole Is.
