A large Catholic community is defending an El Paso-based migrant shelter against serious allegations made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit on February 20 against the El Paso-based Annunciation House, saying that the Catholic nongovernmental organization (NGO) formed in 1976 should have its operation license in the state revoked for allegedly facilitating illegal entry to the United States, harboring illegal migrants, human smuggling, and operating a stash house.
Faithful America, a not-for-profit organization composed of more than 200,000 Catholics and Protestants and others not affiliated with any church or denomination, on Monday posted a petition on its website to object to the "unfounded, cruel and partisan legal attacks from Texas's far-right attorney general" against Annunciation House. As of Friday afternoon, the petition had 12,377 signatures.
"As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger," Reverend Nathan Empsall, executive director of Faithful America, told Newsweek via email on Friday. "Yet by attacking the compassionate love that Annunciation House offers, Attorney General Ken Paxton is doing the exact opposite.
"Like Governor [Greg] Abbott, Paxton is only escalating an already deadly situation to score political points. He is also twisting our shared Christian faith beyond recognition and proving himself to be a cynical hypocrite when it comes to 'religious freedom' by targeting the good work of Annunciation House."
The nonprofit organization is composed of Catholics and Protestants and others not affiliated with any church or denomination. It is one of 268 faith leaders and 165 faith-based organizations that signed an interfaith statement supporting Annunciation House against Texas officials' "attempted criminalization of their faith-based work."
Faithful America lauds the "exemplary track record" of Annunciation House providing food, clothing, shelter and assistance to migrants in the way of filling out immigration paperwork.
"The staff and volunteers of the Catholic charity Annunciation House have been serving the city of El Paso and the migrants who travel through it for nearly 50 years," the petition states. "As members of the Christian organization Faithful America, we demand that you stop your baseless accusations, respect religious freedom, and drop your politically charged lawsuits against Annunciation House immediately."
Texas faith leaders like Catholic El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz are also standing in solidarity with Annunciation House, saying the shelter's mission is an extension of the practices of the Catholic Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and sheltering the homeless—acts traditionally as legal, moral and biblical yet in this instance are viewed differently by Paxton and other Texas officials.
The El Paso sector is one of nine situated along the southwest portion of the U.S.-Mexico border. Daily migrant encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in El Paso are averaging about 1,129 per day, with 2,624 currently in custody. In total, there have been 26,069 migrants chartered and 10,516 received by CBP since September 10.
Update 03/08/24, 1:33 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Faithful America and more information.
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