The Supreme Court took action on Monday, temporarily halting the enforcement of Texas’ contentious immigration law, which grants state law enforcement the authority to arrest and detain individuals suspected of entering the country unlawfully.
Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative hold, effective until March 13, blocking the law from implementation. This temporary pause allows the court additional time to consider the case but does not indicate its final decision. Notably, Alito oversees the federal circuit handling the case.
Earlier on Monday, the Biden administration and several immigration groups filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to prevent enforcement of the law.
Without this intervention, the law would have taken effect on March 10, significantly impacting the long-standing relationship between the United States and individual states regarding immigration matters, according to the Justice Department.
Senate Bill 4, signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in December, sparked immediate concerns among immigration advocates about heightened racial profiling and increased detentions and deportation attempts by state authorities. In Texas, where Latinos constitute 40% of the population, these fears resonated deeply.
Last week, a federal judge in Austin, Texas, halted the state government from enforcing the law, citing its potential to pave the way for other states to enact similar immigration legislation.
In response, a federal appeals court over the weekend granted a temporary stay of the lower court’s decision, paving the way for the law’s implementation later this week if the Supreme Court did not intervene.
