How Ken Paxton Built His Border Security Record Through Court Battles

As Election Day nears, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s record shows repeated support for efforts to secure the southern border.

Paxton has served as attorney general since 2015. Since then, he has consistently supported measures related to the Texas-Mexico border. He launched legal efforts to defend state laws related to crime and illegal immigration, and he won multiple federal court battles against the Biden administration.

In 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term, Paxton joined Trump at a roundtable discussion in McAllen, Texas, focused on border security. The meeting was intended to discuss conditions at the southern border and potential responses to illegal immigration.

In 2021, after President Joe Biden took office, Paxton continued filing lawsuits challenging the administration’s immigration policies.

After Biden suspended certain deportation actions, Paxton filed a complaint in 2021 seeking to halt the Department of Homeland Security’s freeze on removals.

In March of that year, he led a 14-state coalition before the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of a federal law prohibiting immigration by illegal aliens who are likely to rely on taxpayer-funded government programs. Months later, in July, Paxton won a ruling from a U.S. District Court judge that blocked the federal government from approving new applications under the Obama Administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while litigation continued.

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In August 2021, He obtained a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration related to the detention of certain noncitizens convicted of crimes. Before the year’s end, he asked a court to order the Biden administration to immediately resume construction of the southern border wall, arguing that the administration violated federal law by halting the use of congressionally appropriated funds for wall construction.

Paxton also helped secure a ruling in December 2021 that restored the “Remain in Mexico” program, which required immigrants seeking to enter the U.S. illegally to remain in Mexico until U.S. courts ruled on their immigration status.

In 2023, Paxton again prioritized border security through additional legal challenges against the Biden administration.

During a monthslong legal battle over Texas’ border barriers, Paxton won an injunction from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that barred the federal government from damaging, destroying, or interfering with Texas’ concertina wire fencing along the southern border while litigation continued.

In November of that year, Paxton sent a letter to then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stating that a newly enacted Texas law granted additional authority to law enforcement officers under certain circumstances. 

Paxton continued pursuing border-related legal action after Biden left office. In June 2026, he obtained a Texas Supreme Court order temporarily freezing Harris County’s $1.3 million program that provided legal representation to illegal aliens facing deportation proceedings.

In April 2026, Paxton defended Senate Bill 4, which was passed during the 88th Texas Legislature and made illegal entry into Texas from a foreign nation a state crime while authorizing state law enforcement full authority to arrest and order the return of illegal aliens. Paxton sought and obtained a preliminary injunction in federal district court, which was later affirmed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Additionally, Paxton issued a statement supporting House Resolution 50, sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington of Texas, which affirms the constitutional authority of states to defend themselves against border invasions.

These and other actions won Paxton an endorsement by the National Border Patrol Council. In announcing the endorsement, council President Paul Perez said the organization believes Paxton “will continue fighting for the resources, policies, and leadership our agents need to keep America’s borders secure.”

Madison Cercy, Paxton’s campaign spokesperson, told the Daily Signal that he will continue fighting for Texans.

“Attorney General Ken Paxton leads the nation on border security. He sued the Biden Administration over 100 times to stop the flood of illegal immigration and protect Texas communities. He defended Texas’ right to secure the border, blocked unlawful parole programs, upheld our state border laws, and worked with law enforcement to take on the cartels exploiting the crisis at our southern border,” she said.

“As the next U.S. Senator from Texas, Paxton will fully fund President Trump’s border security agenda, finish securing the southern border, arm Border Patrol and law enforcement with the resources they need, crack down on the cartels flooding our streets with fentanyl and other deadly drugs, and support mandatory detention and deportation of dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.”

Election Day is Nov. 3