The US Supreme Court on Monday indefinitely extended its blockade on a Texas law that would give police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of entering the United States illegally, while the legal battle it has waged triggered regarding the immigration authority.
The one-page order signed by Justice Samuel Alito does not set a deadline, but extends the stay “pending further order.”
Opponents have called the law, known as Senate Bill 4, the most dramatic attempt by a state to control immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago, some of which parties were invalidated by the Supreme Court.
Texas’ attorney general said the state law mirrored federal law and “was enacted to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which is harming Texans more than anyone else.”
The Biden administration sued to overturn the measure, arguing that it would usurp primary federal authority over immigration, harm international relations and create chaos in the administration of immigration law. Civil rights groups have argued that the law could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling.
A federal judge in Texas struck down the law in late February, but the Court of Appeal on 5e Circuit quickly stayed that decision, leading the federal government to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In 2012, the Supreme Court struck down key parts of an Arizona law that would have allowed police to arrest people for federal immigration violations, often referred to by opponents as a “show-all” bill. me your papers.” The High Court, divided, then ruled that the impasse in which Washington found itself regarding immigration reform did not justify state intrusion.
The battle over Texas immigration law is one of several legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over the state’s limits on patrolling the Texas-Mexico border and preventing crossings. illegal border crossings.
Several Republican governors have supported Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts, saying the federal government is not doing enough to enforce existing immigration laws.
The case unfolds as record numbers of asylum seekers arrive in the United States and as immigration emerges as a central issue in the 2024 elections.