Judge asks Biden administration to clarify deportation pause order

CNN — A federal judge in Texas on Monday asked the Biden administration to clarify its 100-day pause on deportations as he considers a lawsuit to block the moratorium. Over the weekend, Texas, which is suing the Biden administration, submitted a Fox News report to the court that cited an internal email instructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to “release them all, immediately.” The Justice Department submitted the correspondence, which originated in the Houston field office, on Monday afternoon. “There are going to be times that the Department of Homeland Security uses its discretion in manners that Texas disagrees… Texas has different views about immigration policy than the current administration,” said DOJ attorney Adam Kirschner. The back-and-forth stems from a lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shortly after President Joe Biden took office, challenging one of Biden’s early immigration actions: a pause on deportations. In a filing over the weekend, the Biden Justice Department pushed back against Paxton’s claims, calling the agreements, signed by then-second in command at Homeland Security, Ken Cuccinelli, “invalid” and “unenforceable.” “Texas seeks extraordinary relief to enforce an invalid contract that illegitimately purports to assign to the State the federal government’s plenary authority over immigration enforcement to states and counties,” the filing reads.