Oklahoma AG joins lawsuit against Biden Administration
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma's attorney general joined a multistate lawsuit against the Biden Administration for alleged abuses to immigration through a refugee and parole program.
Attorney General John O'Connor and attorneys general from seven other states allege President Joe Biden's administration abused the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program.
“The Biden Administration’s lack of leadership on illegal immigration is directly impacting our nation,” Attorney General O’Connor said. “The CAM program was created without considering its impact on Oklahoma, Texas and the continuing crisis at the southern border. It’s time to fix the problem President Biden created.”
CAM gives qualified children who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as certain parents or guardians of those children, the opportunity to apply for refugee status and possible resettlement in the United States, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
A child is qualified if they are unmarried, under 21, and a national of the aforementioned nations. An in-country parent of the qualifying child may also qualify for access, in some cases. Children of a qualifying child or other eligible family members can also qualify, but those children must be under 21 and unmarried.
The program was established in 2014 during President Barack Obama's administration. However, it was terminated during President Donald Trump's administration.
The Department of State announced in March that CAM would reopen in two phases.
The attorneys general behind the lawsuit also claim the Biden Administration has "attempted to freeze deportations, stop border wall construction, cease arrests and deportations of broad categories of aliens, and terminate the Remain-in-Mexico program."
Attorneys general from Arkansas, Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and Montana and Texas also signed onto the lawsuit.