The US Supreme Court has permitted Texas to pass SB4, a hardline immigration bill that gives local and state authorities the right to capture and prosecute such people who enter the US across the Mexican border.
Despite President Joe Biden’s assertion that the law is illegal, the court’s decision is a significant success for Texas officials.
SB4 not only marks a departure from the typical federal control of immigration enforcement, in which federal officials are involved, but it also empowers Texas authorities to carry out comparable activities with regard to migrants.
The legislature’s enactment has faced judicial challenges, with Justice Samuel Alito previously impeding the policy’s implementation three times.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of SB4 to begin operations.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the verdict as a victory over the federal government’s overreach, and was praised for condemning the violation of state rights.
In contrast, the ACLU, which previously challenged the Act in court, is committed to fight it until it is found illegal.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, together with Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote opposing views, criticizing the statute for its capacity to disrupt federal-state ties and significantly reduce migrants’ safeguards.
