Attorney General James Vows to Fight Alongside Biden Administration to Stop Deportations

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after, last night, a federal judge in Texas issued a temporary restraining order, in effect for two weeks, that blocked President Joseph Biden’s plan to pause the deportation of undocumented immigrants for 100 days:

“As we continue to reel from a public health crisis that has affected every corner of this country, the last thing we should be doing is moving to deport more immigrants — many who are standing on the frontlines of the pandemic and delivering essential services to Americans nationwide. These immigrants are delivering our packages, stocking our grocery shelves, providing us with health care, and so much more. I strongly support President Biden’s willingness to freeze these deportations as the administration reviews its policies, and I will continue to review the court order as I stand ready to take legal action. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our immigrant community.”

Last week, on the first day of the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memo ordering a moratorium on the deportation of undocumented immigrants for 100 days, while a thorough review of the DHS’s polices took place. Two days later, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden Administration, seeking to overturn the order.