Annunciation House responds to AG Paxton's allegations of human smuggling

El Paso Times
·2 min read
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Annunciation House director Ruben García speaks at a roundtable discussion with officials from the City of El Paso, local non-profits, law enforcement officials, businesses and other stakeholders at the Emergency Migrant Operations Facility located in the recently shuttered Bassett Middle School in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, Jan 9, 2023.
Annunciation House director Ruben García speaks at a roundtable discussion with officials from the City of El Paso, local non-profits, law enforcement officials, businesses and other stakeholders at the Emergency Migrant Operations Facility located in the recently shuttered Bassett Middle School in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, Jan 9, 2023.
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On Tuesday Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his office was suing the Annunciation House for failing to comply with the attorney general’s demand to immediately release information about its clients. Paxton suggested the religious nonprofit was “worsening illegal immigration.” If a judge sides with the state, the lawsuit could prevent the Annunciation House from operating in Texas.

The Annunciation House released the following statement in response to the attorney general's allegations:

The Attorney General came to Annunciation House on February 7, 2024 stating that the organization had one day to turn over a broad swath of records to the Attorney General without an explanation. Annunciation House asked a Court to decide what documents the law permits the Attorney General to access. There is nothing illegal about asking a Court to decide a person's rights.

The AG has now made explicit that its reaI goal is not records but to shut down the organization. It has stated that it considers it a crime for a Catholic organization to provide shelter to refugees.

More: Texas AG sues El Paso’s Annunciation House alleging human smuggling, operating stash house

The Attorney General's illegal, immoral and anti-faith position to shut down Annunciation House is unfounded. Annunciation House has provided hospitality to hundreds of thousands of refugees for over forty-six years. It is a work recognized by the Catholic Church and is listed in the National Catholic Directory. Annunciation House has done this work of accompaniment out of the scriptural and Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger. Annunciation House's response to the stranger is no different from that of the schools who enroll children of refugees, the clinics and hospitals who care for the needs of refugees and the churches, synagogues, and mosques who welcome families to join in worship.

Annunciation House's work is central to the City of El Paso. El Paso has made it a point of pride to provide humane support for people coming through our community in need. Annunciation House has kept hundreds of thousands of refugees coming through our city off the streets and given them food. The work helps serve our local businesses, our City, and immigration officials to keep people off the streets and give them a shelter while they come through our community.

If the work that Annunciation House conducts is illegal - so too is the work of our local hospitals, schools, and food banks.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Annunciation House responds to AG Paxton's allegations of human smuggling