Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has accused Annunciation House, which operates a network of migrant shelters, of human smuggling.
A crowd gathers a press conference at Annunciation House in El Paso on Feb. 23, 2024. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the migrant shelter, accusing it of operating a stash house and human trafficking. A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of Annunciation House, which has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso for decades.We’re testing using AI-powered tools to provide an audio version of this story.
The judge additionally ruled that the state’s claim “violates the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act by substantially burdening Annunciation House’s free exercise of religion and failing to use the ‘least restrictive means’ of securing compliance with the law.”’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling. Lawyers with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid representing the shelter scheduled a press conference for later Tuesday.
Garcia’s lawyer told the state its deadline did not give the shelter enough time and asked a judge to determine which documents shelter officials were legally allowed to release. Interpreting that as noncompliance, Paxton’s office filed a countersuit to shut down the shelter network. Annunciation House opened its first shelter at a Catholic church nearly 50 years ago. Since then, it has helped hundreds of thousands of refugees who have traveled through El Paso, according to the shelter.
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