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Texas Immigration Law Blocked by Appeals Court Despite Supreme Court Allowing State to Arrest Illegal Immigrants

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News)—Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court authorized its implementation, a federal appeals court overturned its decision, preventing Texas’ new anti-illegal immigration law from taking effect and once again halting its enforcement.

On Tuesday, with a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court authorized Texas to promptly start applying a contentious immigration statute that allowed Texas state authorities the power to arrest and hold individuals they believe have entered the country illegally.

Nevertheless, late Tuesday night, a 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans halted the enforcement of the legislation known as SB4. The court has planned further deliberations on the issue in a session scheduled for Wednesday morning.

With the recent late-night decision, the law is once more subject to a court injunction, putting its implementation on hold again.

The court issued an unsigned order stating, “Oral argument is scheduled on March 20, 2024, to review the Appellants’ Motion to Stay Preliminary Injunction Pending Appeal. The majority of the panel has decided that the administrative stay put in place by a motions panel on March 2, 2024, should be lifted.”

Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4), a key legislative priority for Republican Governor Greg Abbott, was passed by the state legislature last year. It criminalized unauthorized individuals entering Texas from outside a designated port of entry and granted state authorities the power to detain and deport those in violation. The law was scheduled to become effective in March.