Supreme Court Allows Texas to Arrest and Jail Migrants Under Tough Immigration Law
In a bold move, the Supreme Court has given Texas the green light to arrest and detain migrants under the state’s stringent new immigration law.
The law, known as SB4, empowers local and state police to apprehend and prosecute individuals suspected of unlawfully crossing the Mexican border.
The Biden administration has vehemently opposed the law, deeming it unconstitutional.
This decision comes hot on the heels of the court temporarily halting the law while emergency appeals were being considered.
Traditionally, enforcing immigration laws, including making arrests, has been the responsibility of the federal government. However, SB4 shifts this authority to Texan officials, enabling them to charge migrants or deport them to Mexico.
Considered one of the most rigorous immigration measures in recent memory, SB4 faced delays three times by Justice Samuel Alito before finally gaining approval from the Supreme Court.
Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas hailed the decision as a “massive victory” against the Biden administration and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who challenged the law in court.
Meanwhile, the ACLU has vowed to continue fighting until the “extreme anti-immigrant law” is struck down.
While the majority of the court supported SB4, the dissenting opinion from Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson raised concerns about the law’s potential impact on federal-state relations, foreign policy, and humanitarian efforts.
SB4 grants local and state law enforcement the authority to detain individuals suspected of illegal border crossing, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment based on the severity of the offense.
The Justice Department has argued that SB4 encroaches on the federal government’s border security jurisdiction and could strain relations with Mexico.
As the case heads back to the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, public debate over immigration policies and border security continues to escalate.
With rising concerns over immigration, a recent Gallup poll revealed that nearly one-third of Americans view immigration as the most pressing issue facing the nation, surpassing government, economy, and inflation concerns. — BBC
