Judge blocks Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants who illegally enter US

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 11:30 AM EST, February 29, 2024


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked a new Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S., dealing a victory to the Biden administration in its feud with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over immigration enforcement.

The preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Judge David Ezra pauses a law that was set to take effect March 5. Texas officials are expected to appeal.

Opponents have called the Texas measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law that opponents rebuked as a “Show Me Your Papers” bill. The U.S. Supreme Court partially struck down the Arizona law, but some Texas Republican leaders want that ruling to get a second look.

The lawsuit is among several legal battles between Texas and President Joe Biden’s administration over how far the state can go to try to prevent migrants from crossing the border.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/texas-migrant-arrests-court-ruling-3bcded91620cbd9686575caa6bcac203

[sakabatou]

1. Abbott screams like a toddler. Other news at six.

[Comfortably_Numb]

2. The fascist 5th circuit will have Texans back to drowning "aliens" in no time. Fuck Texas.

Fucking hate this state.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judge

The Arizonia "show me your papers" law declared unconstitutional but these assholes want the SCOTUS to overturn that decision

Link to tweet

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/29/texas-arrest-migrant-illegal-senate-bill-4-blocked/

A federal judge in Austin on Thursday halted a new state law that would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally.

The law, Senate Bill 4, was scheduled to take effect Tuesday. U.S. District Judge David Ezra issued a preliminary injunction that will keep it from being enforced while a court battle continues playing out. Texas is being sued by the federal government and several immigration advocacy organizations.

Ezra said in his order Thursday that the federal government “will suffer grave irreparable harm” if the law took effect because it could inspire other states to pass their own immigration laws, creating an inconsistent patchwork of rules about immigration, which has historically been upheld as being solely within the jurisdiction of the federal government.

“SB 4 threatens the fundamental notion that the United States must regulate immigration with one voice,” Ezra wrote......

“This decision is a victory for all our communities as it stops a harmful, unconstitutional, and discriminatory state policy from taking effect and impacting the lives of millions of Texans," she said. "Local officials should not be federal immigration agents, and our state should not be creating its own laws that deny people their right to seek protection here in the U.S."

David Donatti, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, said the ruling is an "important win for Texas values, human rights, and the U.S. Constitution."

"Our current immigration system needs repair because it forces millions of Americans into the shadows and shuts the door on people in need of safety. S.B. 4 would only make things worse," he said. "Cruelty to migrants is not a policy solution.”

[MissMillie]

4. Wasn't this a thing in AZ a couple of decades ago?

Sheriff Joe, maybe?

[riversedge]

5. "If allowed to proceed, SB 4 could open the door to each state passing its own version of immigration laws," Ezra wrote.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-puts-temporary-halt-strict-texas-immigration-law/story?id=107682591


............Ezra, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan, called into question SB 4's constitutionality, stating in the 114-page ruling that the Supremacy Clause and previous Supreme Court rulings "affirm that states may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government."

He also said that the law would conflict with certain aspects of federal immigration law and that it would be detrimental to the United States' foreign relations and treaty obligations.

"If allowed to proceed, SB 4 could open the door to each state passing its own version of immigration laws," Ezra wrote. "The effect would moot the uniform regulation of immigration throughout the country and force the federal government to navigate a patchwork of inconsistent regulations. SB 4 threatens the fundamental notion that the United States muThe ACLU of Texas wrote on social media, "This is a win for Texas values, human rights, and the Constitution. The State could try to appeal today's decision — but we're not backing down."

"#SB4 would let police arrest people over suspicions about immigration status — putting communities of color at greater risk of racial profiling," the group continued. "We aim to strike down this law for good."