Updated at 1:37 p.m. ET
A federal judge in Dallas on Wednesday dismissed the state of Texas’ lawsuit against the federal government and a refugee resettlement agency that sought to block Syrian refugees from being resettled in the state.
U.S. District Judge David Godbey had previously denied Texas’ requests for a temporary restraining order to keep Syrian refugees families from entering the state.
Despite its failure to stop refugees from resettling in the state, Texas continued to pursue its lawsuit against the federal government and the International Rescue Committee, arguing that the two parties failed to provide enough information to the state about the refugees set to arrive in Texas.
Godbey on Wednesday approved motions to dismiss Texas’ claims against federal authorities and the IRC. He ruled that the state did not have the right to sue over federal law directing the federal government to consult states on plans to resettle refugees. He also ruled that the IRC did not break its contract with the state of Texas.
Texas is reviewing its legal options following Godbey’s Wednesday order, according to a statement from the state Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
“The Health and Human Services Commission is working with the Office of Attorney General to review the options following the court’s decision. This lawsuit has always been about the safety and security of the citizenry of the state of Texas,” HHSC spokesman Bryan Black said in a Thursday statement obtained by TPM. “Just today, the CIA director warned Congress that ISIS may use refugee programs to smuggle in terrorists, so it is critical that our state remains vigilant in ensuring the safety of Texans.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the IRC in the case, cheered the decision in a Thursday statement.
“This ruling is a strong rebuke of efforts to block refugee resettlement. It sends the clear message to other states that such attempts are not only un-American, they are contrary to the law and will fail in court,” Cecillia Wang, the director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project said in the statement.
Read the decision below:
You knew this was coming but it’s still delicious. How much money did they waste on this one?
This has been going on for around half a year. Josh, is there anybody whose kept track of how much money this nonsense has cost the taxpayers? For somebody whose all-fired worried about the deficit, these assholes sure are ready to waste money in court on a case they KNEW was going nowhere.
I don’t see why we won’t sell Texas to Mexico and build a f**k*n wall around Texas!
Look what the idiot EvangeliBaggers of Tennessee are doing:
10th Amendment Bullshit Deluxe
Surely it will be tossed as well.