A judge in Texas stopped a law called SB4 that gave officials a lot of power to deal with people crossing the border illegally. The judge, David Ezra, agreed with President Joe Biden’s administration, saying the law goes against the federal government’s control over immigration and the rights of migrants to ask for asylum.
This decision happened at the same time as both Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border, showing how important immigration is in politics. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would challenge the decision because he believes Texas has the right to protect itself from border problems.
The SB4 law in Texas was supposed to start on March 5, but it faced strong opposition from civil rights groups and the Biden administration.
Ruling favors Biden administration (Via Joshua Keel/Getty Images)
It made it a crime to enter Texas illegally, and it let local police arrest and charge people who did that, with harsh punishments for not following the law.
Judge Ezra’s decision follows a rule set by the Supreme Court in 2012, which said Arizona couldn’t have its own immigration law. He said Texas was wrong to say there was an “invasion” at the border and that the law interfered with federal control over immigration.
People who fight for civil rights praised the decision and said SB4 was the harshest anti-immigrant law ever in the U.S. Aron Thorn from the Texas Civil Rights Project said this decision was important for protecting immigrant communities who are in a vulnerable position.
