Mexican authorities are pushing back against a Texas law that would empower local law enforcement to arrest and deport illegal immigrants.
The Biden administration challenged S.B. 4, charging the law is unconstitutional because it supersedes and undermines federal immigration laws.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott argued the influx of illegal immigrants is spurred on by Biden administration policies and represents an “invasion” that threatens public safety.
Abbot further argued that Texas officials must take action because the federal government has abrogated their responsibility.
S.B. 4 classifies illegal crossing into the country as a Class B misdemeanor and imposes harsh penalties, up to a 20-year prison sentence, for repeat offenders.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the law’s implementation, remanded the case to a lower court, and ruled that Texas authorities could arrest and detain individuals based on their immigration status.
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, denounced S.B. 4 as “draconian” and vowed to reject attempts by Texas officials to deport migrants back to Mexico.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena warned that Mexican officials would put “increased vigilance and controls” at border crossings to prevent deportations should the Texas law go into effect.
“We are not going to accept any return, either of Mexicans or non-Mexicans, from local, state or county authorities in Texas,” Bárcena said.
The Texas law was first blocked by U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra, who rejected arguments from Texas authorities, saying, “unauthorized immigration alone does not qualify as an ‘invasion.'”
Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court sent the Texas case back to a lower court for review, a federal appeals court blocked the provision allowing Texas authorities to arrest and detain individuals based on their immigration status.
According to the Texas Tribune, the appeals court blocked the law’s implementation while considering constitutional arguments from the Department of Justice and Texas authorities.
ABC News interviewed Elizabeth Mendoza, an immigration attorney, about the case. Mendoza stated that the look of Texas law has led to “a lot of fear in the community. The fear is palpable in the community.”
News correspondent Linsey Davis reported the sheriff’s office in El Paso said that implementing the law would be “problematic.”
Also in the news, on Thursday, approximately 600 migrants overran members of the National Guard at a Texas border station.
Again, it’s about optics. If migrants are across the river, federal law requires they be processed by immigration authorities. If Abbott orders soldiers to prevent this, he is violating federal law. This is another legal challenge set up by Abbott. He’s baiting Biden. https://t.co/E5bEnBHWd4
— Jenn Budd (@BuddJenn) March 22, 2024
