Border

Supreme Court Allows Texas To Enforce Controversial Immigration Law

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to enforce its controversial law that gives police officers the power to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally.

This is a preliminary decision, and the high court ordered a lower court to decide whether to allow the law to remain in effect while appeals continue.

The majority did not write an opinion in the case because it was an emergency appeal, but the decision drew dissent from liberal justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor

“The Court gives a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal-state balance of power and sow chaos,” wrote Sotomayor, joined by Jackson.

The law, known as Senate Bill 4, allows state criminal penalties of up to six months in jail for people who enter Texas illegally from Mexico, and gives state judges the power to order deportations to Mexico without Mexico’s consent.

Critics argue that S.B. 4 represents the most aggressive state-led immigration crackdown since Arizona’s controversial law more than a decade ago, parts of which were struck down by the Supreme Court. Opponents of the law fear it could exacerbate tensions and create confusion while burdening law enforcement.

State officers expressed concern about the ability of local police to enforce the law.

“A lot of the local police chiefs here, we don’t believe it will survive a constitutional challenge. It doesn’t look like it’s going to, because a Texas peace officer is not trained. We have no training whatsoever to determine whether an individual is here in this country, legally,” said Sheriff Eddie Guerra of Hidalgo County, president of the Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition representing 31 border counties from the U.S.

Now that the Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce the law, it would go back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, but could eventually return to the Supreme Court.

Arguments in the 5th Circuit are scheduled for April 3.

RA Staff

Written by RA News staff.

Recent Posts

Wall Street South? Texas Launches Bold Bid with New Stock Exchange

A bold new financial chapter is unfolding…

20 hours ago

Nearly 900 Texans Rescued After Catastrophic Flooding in Kerr County, Death Toll Rises

At least 32 people are dead and many more remain missing — including children from…

1 day ago

Texas Bets on Bitcoin: A Strategic Play for Financial Innovation

In a move that has drawn national…

2 days ago

Elon Musk’s $50K House vs. His Nearly $70K Cybertruck

Elon Musk, a figure with billion-dollar ventures…

2 days ago

Delta-8 vs. Delta-9: Why Texas’ Marijuana Dispensaries Say They Can’t Compete

Texas' medical marijuana industry entered 2025’s legislative…

3 days ago

Paxton drops appeal: Texas to pay $6.6 million to whistleblowers

Texas will pay $6.6 million to four former top deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton…

3 days ago

This website uses cookies.