The Texas Office of the Inspector General is launching an investigation into alleged mistreatment of migrants at the border.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, look toward the Senate Gallery at the Texas Capitol on Jan. 12, 2021. They are not just asking the court to prohibit discovery from the office and Ken Paxton. But the attorney general’s office claims the agency cannot be sued under the law because Paxton is an elected official. “The Attorney General is neither a governmental entity nor a public employee and, thus, the Whistleblower Act does not extend protection to reports of unlawful conduct made against the Attorney General personally,” the agency argued. “It appears that General Paxton is trying to get off on a technicality that doesn't exist,” he added.

Former Deputy Attorney General for Policy and Strategy Blake Brickman. Blake Brickman, who had served as deputy attorney general for policy and strategy initiatives for less than a year, was fired Tuesday, the official said. Lacey Mase, the deputy attorney general for administration, was also fired Tuesday, The Texas Tribune reported earlier this week. “This situation looks like what the Texas Whistleblower Act was designed to prevent. And the timing looks bad,” Jason Smith, a North Texas employment attorney, told The Texas Tribune this week.