Texas governor signs new immigration law allowing state to arrest migrants

Photo courtesy of the Texas Office of the Governor

CBS News reports that Texas Governor Greg Abbott today signed a state immigration enforcement law, which authorizes state officials to arrest and seek the removal of migrants suspected of unlawfully crossing the border.

SB 4 (and here) affords Texas law enforcement authorities the power to stop, arrest and jail migrants on newly-created  state illegal entry charges.Critics express concerns with, among other things, with possible racial profiling of Latina/os.

As CBS News notes, “[p]assed by Texas’ legislature earlier this year, SB4 is an extraordinary attempt by the state to inject itself into immigration and border enforcement, both longstanding federal prerogatives. It will almost certainly trigger a high-stakes legal and political clash with civil rights groups and potentially the Biden administration.”

SB 4 is set to take effect in March 2024, though that could change depending on the outcome of lawsuits that are expected to be filed.

KJ

UPDATE (December 19):  

This NPR story, among other things, reports on advocates who warn about the risk of racial profiling by Texas law enforcement in enforcing the new law.

Second Update (Dec. 19):  Today, the ACLU filed suit seeking to enjoin SB 4 from going into effect.  The basic claim is based on the Supremacy Clause and that the Texas law is preempted by federal law. Here is the news release on the lawsuit.

KJ