An appeals court on Saturday overturned a lower court’s ruling that blocked Texas from implementing a new state law criminalizing illegal immigration.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals contradicted U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra’s decision to halt Texas’ Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) but also stayed its own judgment for seven days, allowing the Biden administration an opportunity to appeal to the Supreme Court.
SB 4 grants state authorities the authority to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants, empowering state judges to order deportations.
Originally scheduled to take effect on March 5, the law will now remain on pause until March 9, barring Supreme Court intervention.
Judge Ezra, presiding in the Western District of Texas, had previously ruled that states lack the authority to enforce immigration laws independently of federal authorization.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas contended that the state “has the right to defend itself” against the perceived southern border “invasion.”
In response to Ezra’s ruling, Abbott declared, “Texas will immediately appeal this decision, and we will not back down in our fight to protect our state – and our nation – from President Biden’s border crisis.”
SB 4 constitutes one of several measures enacted by Texas to mitigate migrant influxes. Abbott has consistently criticized the Biden administration for its alleged failure to enforce immigration statutes amid surging migrant entries and encounters at the southern border.
