Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the license of Annunciation House, a Catholic humanitarian organization that provides shelter and aid to migrants in El Paso.

Paxton alleges the group is facilitating illegal immigration and accuses them of alien harboring, operating a stash house, and human smuggling. Annunciation House failed to comply with document requests from Paxton’s office related to these allegations.

“The chaos at the southern border has created an environment where NGOs, funded with taxpayer money from the Biden Administration, facilitate astonishing horrors including human smuggling,” Paxton said. “My office works daily to hold these organizations accountable for worsening illegal immigration.”

Annunciation House director Reuben Garcia denied the allegations, stating: “The Attorney General’s illegal, immoral and anti-faith position to shut down Annunciation House is unfounded. If the work that Annunciation House conducts is illegal – so too is the work of our local hospitals, schools, and food banks.”

The dispute stems from an informant’s tip to Paxton’s office, claiming Annunciation House assists migrants who enter illegally with shelter and paperwork. However, Garcia asserts they only aid migrants after legal process through ports of entry and do not facilitate illegal crossings.

Annunciation House previously sued to block Paxton’s broad document requests related to migrants. Paxton counters their lack of cooperation warrants revoking their license as they allegedly violate law.

The case reflects larger tensions under the Biden administration’s border policies. Record numbers of migrants have entered through Texas, prompting pushback from Gov. Greg Abbott. Legal advocates argue Paxton’s targeting of aid groups like Annunciation House is an overreach aiming to intimidate and deny due process to vulnerable migrants.