El Paso leaders, advocates react to lawsuit filed against Annunciation House

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- One of the legal representatives of the Annunciation House, Jerome Wesevich with the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, said he thinks it is sad the Texas Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against the Catholic center.

According to Wesevich, three state investigators showed up at the door of the Annunciation House demanding immediate access to sensitive documents.

The Annunciation House told them they would respond in thirty days, but the AG's office asked for those documents within one day.

The lawsuit claims that the Annunciation House is engaged in legal violations such as facilitating illegal entry to the United States, "alien" harboring, human smuggling, and operating a stash house.

"So far, I mean, the attorney general has put out a press release saying that he sued us. That's not true. We sued him to stop him from an unreasonable demand for immediate access to sensitive documents," Wesevich said.

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar also gave her thoughts on the lawsuit.

"What happened to Annunciation House is part of a larger, more disturbing, very dangerous, terrifying, and outrageous pattern of what is happening in El Paso at the hands of state government," the congresswoman said.

ABC-7 reached out to the Texas Attorney General's Office and the office of Congressman Tony Gonzales for comment but we haven't heard back yet.