Judge suspends controversial Texas law authorizing police to expel migrants

A US judge on Thursday suspended the entry into force of a controversial Texas law that allows law enforcement authorities to detain and expel migrants suspected of having entered illegally. U.Sreported the plaintiffs.

The law, which It was expected to come into force next Monday. and is temporarily suspended, is one of the anti-immigration measures most drastic in American history.

Migrant advocates warned that the law will directly lead to racial discrimination, especially against Hispanics.

The measure (SB 88-4) was demanded by civil rights groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last December, just days after it was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, the prime mover. of the measurement.

The plaintiffs allege that the law is unconstitutional because it violates the supremacy of federal law, which regulates immigration in the US, over measures passed by a state.

The law considers foreigners a misdemeanor “entering or attempting to enter the state from a foreign nation” irregulary. The crime becomes a serious crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, if the perpetrator is a repeat offender.

The initiative also allows the state court to order the expulsion of people without legal process. Additionally, police officers will be able to arrest any individual they suspect of having entered the country illegally and will have the power to expel them to Mexico instead of arresting them.

Anand Balakrishnan, lawyer for ACLU Immigrant Rights Project, said in a statement that the Federal Court’s decision “confirms” the illegality of the measure.

Edna Yang, co-executive director of American Gateways, another of the plaintiff organizations, emphasized that “the only way to fix our broken immigration system is through federal congressional action, not individual state action.”

The temporary ruling issued by the Federal Court for the Western District of Texas comes just as the president Joe Biden and former president donald trump, Separately, they arrived this Thursday at the southern border of that state to advance their electoral campaigns around immigration.

The US president meets with members of the Border Patrol and local officials and leaders in Brownsville, while Trump will be 500 kilometers northeast in Eagle Pass, where Abbott has instituted several measures challenging federal power over immigration.

The plaintiffs anticipated that the Texas government would likely appeal the court’s temporary ruling.

The law was rejected by local governments like El Paso, which participated in the process.

County Commissioner Iliana Holguín applauded the court’s decision in a statement and said the law would “impose an undue burden on local taxpayers while opening the door to potential violations of residents’ civil rights.”

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.