Appeals court freezes Texas’ new SB4 immigration law

A federal appeals court has frozen the enforcement of Texas’s contentious immigration law, which is among the strictest of its kind enacted by a US state in recent history.

This ruling came shortly after the Supreme Court allowed the measure, known as SB4, to take effect pending an appeal.

The law, signed in December, would empower Texas officials to detain and prosecute unauthorised migrants. However, its enforcement faced opposition from the Biden administration, which deemed it unconstitutional.

Mexico, sharing a border with Texas, declared its refusal to accept any migrants deported under this legislation.

Originally slated to take effect on March 5th, SB4’s fate has been subject to legal challenges. The decision to freeze the law represents the latest development in a series of judicial rulings grappling with its implications.

Should the law be reinstated, it would signify a significant departure in immigration enforcement, as courts have historically upheld that only the federal government possesses the authority to enforce immigration laws in the United States, not individual states.

Illegal border crossing remains a federal offence, typically adjudicated as civil cases within the immigration court system.