No Sanctuary For Stash Houses: Texas Court Backs Paxton's Border Crackdown
The Supreme Court of Texas overturned a lower court injunction that had halted Paxton's prosecution of Annunciation House, an El Paso nonprofit accused of illegally harboring undocumented immigrants.
'Today is a great victory for Texas, secure borders, and the rule of law,' Paxton said in a press release following the ruling. 'Annunciation House has flagrantly violated our laws by harboring illegal aliens and assisting them to enter further into our country.'
The case stems from a 2024 lawsuit filed by Paxton's office against the El Paso-based organization. The Attorney General alleges the group operates as a 'stash house' in violation of Texas Penal Code provisions.
Paxton's legal team built its case on what it describes as substantial public evidence and employee admissions. They argue that these revelations demonstrate systematic law violations by the nonprofit organization.
An El Paso County district judge initially granted Annunciation House's request for an injunction, effectively halting the state's legal action against the Catholic-affiliated aid group.
The state Supreme Court's decision addressed more than just procedural matters. Justices explicitly rejected claims that Paxton targeted the organization because of its religious connections.
The high court found 'no evidence to support' accusations of religious discrimination in the case. Justices also reminded the trial court to presume the Attorney General acted in 'good faith' and with 'legality.'
Paxton vowed to continue his enforcement efforts against similar organizations.
'I will do everything in my power to stop them and any other NGO breaking our laws,' he stated.
Amy Warr, an attorney for Annunciation House, argued before the Texas Supreme Court that the religious organization has not broken any laws and has never hidden immigrants from law enforcement officers. She claimed that Paxton's attack against the nongovernmental organization is just anti-immigration political rhetoric, the El Paso Times reported.
The ruling represents another chapter in ongoing tensions over immigration enforcement along the Texas-Mexico border. Humanitarian aid organizations are frequently caught between federal immigration policy and state-level prosecution efforts.
With the injunction lifted, the case returns to the trial court level. Annunciation House will face the underlying criminal allegations in proceedings that can now proceed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
20 minutes ago
- Fox News
Barry Morphew may use mystery DNA for defense in wife's murder: former prosecutor
A former deputy district attorney believes Barry Morphew will try and use an "alternate suspect" defense after being charged with his wife's murder. Morphew was indicted by a grand jury in Colorado on charges of murder in the first degree June 20 after the Mother's Day 2020 disappearance of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, the mother of two daughters. Barry Morphew was arrested in Goodyear, Arizona, almost 11 hours from where his wife went missing and was extradited to Colorado June 30. Though Barry Morphew was first charged with the murder of his wife in 2021, those charges were later dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct. Suzanne Morphew's body was found in September 2023, and an autopsy determined a deer tranquilizer called "BAM" was found in her bone marrow. BAM stands for the chemicals butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine. According to prosecutors, Barry Morphew was the only individual with a prescription for the deer tranquilizer within the area of Colorado he had lived in. Prosecutors on July 16 submitted their first witness list, which includes both of Barry Morphew's daughters. Prosecutors aren't required to make everyone on the list testify. Colin McCallin, a Colorado-based lawyer and former deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Colorado, told Fox News Digital he thinks Barry Morphew's legal team will try and argue an "alternate suspect" killed Suzanne Morphew. "I would expect the defense to advance any evidence they (have) relating to alternate suspect evidence," McCallin said. McCallin pointed to the fact that an unknown DNA profile was found in Suzanne Morphew's Range Rover after her disappearance, which didn't belong to Barry Morphew. Court documents state that unknown DNA was found in the glove box, among other spots. "You know, one of the things that has always permeated this case is the existence of these unknown DNA profiles that were found on some of the items of evidence that were found, you know, that initially when she went missing, that pointed to maybe someone else being involved in this," McCallin said. "You can't just throw out names and say, that person did it, go get him. So, you know, I do think though that if they have any ability to pin this homicide on someone other than Barry Morphew, they are going to explore those defenses." Bryan Kohberger, convicted of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, attempted to invoke an "alternate perpetrator" theory, but Judge Steven Hippler didn't allow it. Court documents referring to the so-called alternate perpetrator in that case were sealed, but Hippler expressed skepticism. McCallin said the case against Barry Morphew is still "very circumstantial," which may hamper prosecutors. "We know that that chemical was found in her body. We know where her body was found. But we really don't know a whole lot more than that. We don't know where the body was moved. We don't know where Suzanne actually died," McCallin said. Barry Morphew's attorney, David Beller, previously told Fox News Digital Morphew "maintains his innocence." "Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," Beller said. "The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
How do Cambodia and Thailand's military capabilities compare?
Months of simmering tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have exploded into armed conflict, in the heaviest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, in which Thailand and Cambodia are also members, urged calm and said he would speak to leaders of both countries to peacefully resolve their dispute. China also expressed concern at the fighting and said it was willing to play a role in promoting de-escalation. For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border, which has led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. Here is a look at the defence forces and arsenals of two countries, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies: Budgets and ground personnel Cambodia had a defence budget of U$1.3 billion in 2024 and 124,300 active military personnel. The armed forces were established in 1993 from the merger of the country's former Communist military and two other resistance armies. Of this, the Cambodian army is the largest force, with some 75,000 soldiers, backed by more than 200 battle tanks and around 480 pieces of artillery. Thailand, which the U.S. classifies as a major non-NATO ally, has a large, well-funded military, with a defence budget of U$5.73 billion in 2024 and 360,000 active armed forces personnel. The Thai army has a total of 245,000 personnel, including an estimated 115,000 conscripts, around 400 battle tanks, over 1,200 armoured personnel carriers and some 2,600 artillery weapons. The army has its own fleet of aircraft, comprising passenger planes, helicopters such as dozens of U.S.-made Black Hawks, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Air Forces Cambodia's air force has 1,500 personnel, with a relatively small fleet of aircraft, including 10 transport planes and 10 transport helicopters. It doesn't possess any fighter aircraft but has 16 multi-role helicopters, including six Soviet-era Mi-17s and 10 Chinese Z-9s. Thailand has one of the best-equipped and trained air forces in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 46,000 personnel, 112 combat-capable aircraft, including 28 F-16s and 11 Swedish Gripen fighter jets, and dozens of helicopters. Navies The Cambodian navy has an estimated 2,800 personnel, including 1,500 naval infantry, with 13 patrol and coastal combat vessels and one amphibious landing craft. Thailand's navy is much larger, with nearly 70,000 personnel, comprising naval aviation, marines, coastal defence and conscripts. It has one aircraft carrier, seven frigates, and 68 patrol and coastal combat vessels. The Thai fleet also contains a handful of amphibious and landing ships capable of holding hundreds of troops each and 14 smaller landing craft. Thailand's naval aviation division has its own fleet of aircraft, including helicopters and UAVs, besides a marine corps that has 23,000 personnel, backed by dozens of armed fighting vehicles.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Trump releases long-awaited executive order on college athletics. It's not the quick fix the White House promised
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a long-anticipated executive order on college sports, an attempt to provide federal guidance to the wild world of big money that has transformed collegiate athletics in recent years. The executive order signed by Trump said it is executive branch policy 'that third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes are improper and should not be permitted by universities,' while it specifically allowing endorsement deals. It did not lay out a specific enforcement mechanism. But those expecting the administration to suddenly provide the guardrails and rules that have been sorely lacking in college sports in recent years will likely come away disappointed. The order aims to preserve and expand college sports, citing their unique place in American culture and how vital they are to American success in the Olympics. But it appears to fall short of what some in athletic departments around the country would have hoped: Clear federal guidance that would put an end to the chaos wrought by the name, image and likeness (NIL) deals that were deemed acceptable by the Supreme Court and the rampant transfers that have shaken college sports. 'It is the policy of my Administration that all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded,' reads the order. 'My Administration will therefore provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports. It is common sense that college sports are not, and should not be, professional sports, and my Administration will take action accordingly.' While the White House's fact sheet stated the executive order 'saves college sports,' the language itself does not implement any immediate changes. The order posits that athletic departments with more than $125 million in revenue during the last athletic season should provide more scholarship opportunities than in 2024-25 in non-revenue sports (sports that do not turn a profit and are typically subsidized with money earned from football and basketball) and provide the maximum number of roster spots permitted. Departments with more than $50 million in revenue during last year's athletic season should provide at least as many roster spots as last year and the maximum under the rules. Departments that made less than $50 million should not shrink scholarship opportunities or roster spots in non-revenue generating sports. The order also states that any revenue sharing agreement worked out between athletes and schools should be done in a way that 'preserves or expands scholarships and collegiate athletic opportunities in women's and non-revenue sports.' While the order also states that third-party, play-for-play payments to athletes should not be permitted, it notes that policy doesn't apply to payments that an athlete receives at a fair-market value from a separate party, such as a brand endorsement, according to the order. The NCAA already modified rules to address some of the points spelled out in the order. On the third-party payments, the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors in April moved to create oversight of all NIL deals over $600 and rules around what to do if a NIL deal is 'determined not to have been made with the purpose of using a student-athlete's NIL to advance a valid business purpose and/or is determined to have been made outside a reasonable range of compensation.' NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement that the organization appreciates Trump's order but Congress has to be the one that makes the most important changes. 'The NCAA is making positive changes for student-athletes and confronting many challenges facing college sports by mandating health and wellness benefits and guaranteeing scholarships, but there are some threats to college sports that federal legislation can effectively address and the Association is advocating with student-athletes and their schools for a bipartisan solution with Congress and the Administration,' Baker's statement reads. 'The Association appreciates the Trump Administration's focus on the life-changing opportunities college sports provides millions of young people and we look forward to working with student-athletes, a bipartisan coalition in Congress and the Trump Administration to enhance college sports for years to come.' While the order sets out the administration's policies, it does not have any enforcement mechanism. It also uses the word 'should' 10 times – binding federal laws and executive orders with enforcement mechanisms typically use the word 'shall.' Republican Reps. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Tim Walberg of Michigan and Jim Jordan of Ohio – the chairs of the Energy and Commerce committee, Education and Workforce committee and Judiciary Committee respectively – thanked Trump for the order but urged their colleagues to pass a law enshinring changes. 'We thank President Trump for his commitment to supporting student-athletes and strengthening college athletics in the NIL era. The SCORE Act, led by our three committees, will complement the President's executive order, and we look forward to working with all of our colleagues in Congress to build a stronger and more durable college sports environment,' the statement read. Where the text does lay out specific orders, it calls on administration officials to develop plans for implementation. Within 30 days, Education Secretary Linda McMahon – in consultation with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson – 'shall develop a plan to advance the policies' set forth in the order 'through all available and appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and litigation mechanisms.' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and the National Labor Relations Board are ordered to 'determine and implement the appropriate measures with respect to clarifying the status of collegiate athletes, including through guidance, rules, or other appropriate actions, that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.' The order also directs Bondi and Ferguson to work on a report within 60 days on how best to protect college athletics from antitrust lawsuits.
