U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker handed down the order after Republican attorneys general of 16 states — including Texas' Ken Paxton — challenged the initiative last week in court. Their lawsuit suit alleges President Joe Biden circumvented Congress to pass a policy that would harm the states by encouraging illegal immigration.
The Biden administration unveiled its Keeping Families Together program in June. The Department of Homeland Security had already begun accepting applications when the Barker's pause went into effect, according to the AP.
Barker said the pause is necessary so the court can consider the suit's claims, which he called "substantial," the AP reports.
However, immigrant-advocacy groups argue that Paxton and the other Republican attorneys have failed to provide any evidence showing how the program would harm their states.
“An order like this is an extreme measure that — by law — should only be taken in the most urgent of situations,” Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, said in a statement. “This case does not meet that test. To halt a process for which Texas has not been able to provide an iota of evidence that it would harm the state is baffling. This is heartbreaking for our clients and the thousands of couples who hope to benefit from this process and be able to live without fear that their family will be separated.”
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