Current:Home > MarketsSupreme Court temporarily blocks Texas law that allows police to arrest migrants-LoTradeCoin
Supreme Court temporarily blocks Texas law that allows police to arrest migrants
View Date:2024-12-23 21:18:53
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ plan to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally is headed to the Supreme Court in a legal showdown over the federal government’s authority over immigration.
The high court on Monday blocked Texas’ immigration law from going into effect until March 13 and asked the state to respond by March 11. The law was set to take effect Saturday, and the court’s decision came just hours after the Justice Department asked it to intervene.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law in December and for months has unveiled a series of escalating measures on the border that have tested the boundaries of how far a state can go keep migrants from entering the country.
The law would allow state officers to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. People who are arrested could then agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the country or face a misdemeanor charge for entering the U.S. illegally. Migrants who don’t leave after being ordered to do so could be arrested again and charged with a more serious felony.
The Justice Department told the Supreme Court that the law would profoundly alter “the status quo that has existed between the United States and the States in the context of immigration for almost 150 years.” It went on to argue that the law would have “significant and immediate adverse effects” on the country’s relationship with Mexico and “create chaos” in enforcing federal immigration laws in Texas.
The federal government cited a 2012 Supreme Court ruling on an Arizona law that would have allowed police to arrest people for federal immigration violations, often referred to by opponents as the “show me your papers” bill. The divided high court found that the impasse in Washington over immigration reform did not justify state intrusion.
In a statement Monday, the Texas Attorney General’s Office said the state’s law mirrored federal law and “was adopted to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which hurts Texans more than anyone else.”
The federal government’s emergency request to the Supreme Court came after a federal appeals court over the weekend stayed U.S. District Judge David Ezra’s sweeping rejection of the law.
In a 114-page ruling Thursday, Ezra rebuked Texas’ immigration enforcement and brushed off claims by Republicans about an ongoing “invasion” along the southern border due to record-high illegal crossings.
Ezra added that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, conflicts with federal immigration law and could get in the way of U.S. foreign relations and treaty obligations.
According to Ezra’s ruling, allowing Texas to supersede federal law due to an “invasion” would “amount to nullification of federal law and authority — a notion that is antithetical to the Constitution and has been unequivocally rejected by federal courts since the Civil War.”
Republicans who back the law have said it would not target immigrants already living in the U.S. because the two-year statute of limitations on the illegal entry charge would be enforced only along the state’s border with Mexico.
Texas has been arresting migrants for years under a different program that is based on criminal trespass arrests.
Though Ezra said some might sympathize with Texas officials’ concerns about immigration enforcement by the federal government, he said that was not enough to excuse a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The battle over the Texas immigration law, known as Senate Bill 4, is one of multiple legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how far the state can go to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings.
Several Republican governors have backed Abbott’s efforts, saying the federal government is not doing enough to enforce existing immigration laws.
Some of Abbott’s attempts to impede illegal border crossings have included a floating barrier in the Rio Grande— which Ezra previously blocked and is part of an ongoing legal battle— and placing razor wire along the state’s boundary with Mexico. State guard officers have also blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing a riverfront park in Eagle Pass that was previously used by federal agents to process migrants.
___ Whitehurst reported from Washington.
veryGood! (14677)
Related
- Colts' Kenny Moore II ridicules team's effort in loss to Bills
- Connecticut alderman facing charges in Jan. 6 riot defeats incumbent GOP mayor after primary recount
- A look at the articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
- Thousands of South Korean teachers are rallying for new laws to protect them from abusive parents
- Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
- Fall fever is upon us: Häagen-Dazs brings back Pumpkin Spice Shake in time to celebrate
- Police group photo with captured inmate Danelo Cavalcante generates criticism online
- Biden set for busy week of foreign policy, including talks with Brazil, Israel and Ukraine leaders
- Conviction and 7-year sentence for Alex Murdaugh’s banker overturned in appeal of juror’s dismissal
- Lawyers argue 3 former officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death should have separate trials
Ranking
- Mississippi rising, Georgia falling in college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after Week 11
- Eagles fly to 2-0 with win over Vikings: Winners and losers from 'Thursday Night Football'
- They worked for years in Libya. Now an Egyptian village mourns scores of its men killed in flooding
- Selena Quintanilla, Walter Mercado and More Latin Icons With Legendary Style
- Maryland man wanted after 'extensive collection' of 3D-printed ghost guns found at his home
- A Georgia state senator indicted with Trump won’t be suspended from office while the case is ongoing
- Libya probes the collapse of two dams after flooding devastated an eastern city, killing over 11,000
- Erdogan says Turkey may part ways with the EU. He implied the country could ends its membership bid
Recommendation
-
Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
-
Sister of Paul Whelan, American held in Russia, doesn't get requested meeting with Biden
-
90 Day Fiancé's Yara Zaya Breaks Down in Tears Over Her Body Insecurities
-
Iranian women use fashion to defy the Islamic Republic's oppression
-
Love Is Blind’s Chelsea Blackwell Reacts to Megan Fox’s Baby News
-
Thousands of South Korean teachers are rallying for new laws to protect them from abusive parents
-
Offshore wind projects need federal help to get built, six governors tell Biden
-
Artwork believed stolen during Holocaust seized from museums in multiple states