A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Texas law that would have allowed local police to arrest people suspected of being in the state illegally.
Senate Bill 4 was passed in late 2023 as part of a priority package of immigration and border security bills championed by Gov. Greg Abbott and far-right leaders. It would have also allowed local judges to order someone to return to Mexico, regardless of their nationality.
But U.S. District Judge David Ezra ruled on Thursday that the law is likely unconstitutional because the federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters.
“Several factors warrant an injunction. First, the Supremacy Clause and Supreme Court precedent affirm that states may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government,” Ezra wrote. “Second, SB 4 conflicts with key provisions of federal immigration law, to the detriment of the United States’ foreign relations and treaty obligations.”