Controversial immigration bill held until Monday

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The state’s controversial anti-immigration law that would allow Texas police to arrest anyone they suspect crossed the border illegally has been placed on hold.

SB4 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott as part of his anti-immigration legislation. It allowed lawmen in Texas to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally.

However, on Monday evening the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the legislation.

Last week, a federal judge blocked SB4, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed his decision over the weekend.

Ricardo Ramirez, an immigration lawyer in Hidalgo County for more than 10 years, explained the scale of the law, said: “…if it does go into effect, then we’re gonna have these very novel, very unique situations of people trying to seek relief from a removal order or removal process that’s now happening in the state context- which is foreign to everybody because normally it is only in the federal context.”

Ramirez notes the severe difference from previous waves of migrants, with the bill coming at a time when immigration has seen a constant flow in the last 6 months.

He said SB4 seeks to further criminalize immigrants and emphasized the wide array of people the bill affects.

“Immigrants, asylees, people trying to come to the country or trying to remain in here based off their refugee status. So depending on what happens with the bill, some of these clients could face shorter court times, could face the new regulations or new orders that they were not anticipating, right?”

Immigrant activist groups like L.U.P.E. staunchly oppose SB4. At a protest outside Brownsville Airport last week when President Joe Biden landed, Dani Marrero Hi of L.U.P.E. proclaimed, “Years and decades we have of working with asylum seekers and immigrants… but instead to come promote anti-immigrant legislation and only meet with law enforcement- we see that as a wasted opportunity.”

Hours after the justice department asked the high court to intervene, the justices blocked the law and gave the state of Texas until Monday to give its response.