Paxton amends approach to resettlement of refugees

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Dec. 4 withdrew his request for a temporary restraining order to put a hold on the federal government’s plan to relocate Syrian refugee families in Texas.

 

Paxton, as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, initiated the court action on behalf of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the state agency potentially most involved with the resettlement process. In an explanation of his reasoning, Paxton cited the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980, a law requiring that the federal government consult with state authorities in advance of such relocations.

 

Paxton said, in effect, that his request for the restraining order prompted the federal government to provide information that he said would help resolve security concerns about the first group of refugees set to arrive in Texas.