A decision from the Supreme Court on Monday has extended the temporary halt on a new immigration law in Texas, which has been contested by the Biden administration. Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative member of the court, issued an order reinstating the temporary suspension on a lower court’s ruling. The court specified that the law would remain inactive “pending further order” from them.
Originally scheduled to take effect on March 10, the law has now been intervened by Alito on three occasions, preserving the status quo. Without Supreme Court intervention, the law would have come into force following the expiration of Alito’s previous order on Monday evening. The current ruling effectively halts the implementation indefinitely, granting all nine justices additional time to deliberate on the subsequent actions to be taken.
The legislation under scrutiny, labeled SB4, grants authority to law enforcement to apprehend migrants crossing the border from Mexico illegally, coupled with the imposition of criminal penalties.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in court documents that the Texas statute contradicts established Supreme Court precedents spanning a century. Conversely, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defended the law, asserting that it aligns with federal legislation and should therefore be enforced by the state.
Paxton further emphasized that the Constitution acknowledges Texas’s sovereign right to protect itself from the influx of violent transnational cartels, which inundate the state with illicit substances, weapons, and various forms of violence. Meanwhile, the city of El Paso and two immigrant rights organizations, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and American Gateways, have joined forces to challenge the law, submitting their own urgent plea to the Supreme Court.
{Matzav.com}
