[Washington Examiner] AUSTIN, Texas — The Biden administration is mulling legal action against Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) after civil rights organizations sued over a new law that gives state and local law enforcement the ability to arrest suspected illegal immigrants.The Lawfare train is right on time.
Blowback from Democrats and liberal organizations commenced less than 24 hours after Abbott signed SB 4, which gives non-federal police the legal authority to arrest immigrants who have illegally entered the state from a foreign nation. Immigration laws are federal, therefore, until the signing of SB 4, only federal law enforcement had the authority to make such arrests, and some already have taken legal action to quell Abbott's latest border security action.
Abbott signed the bill, along with two others that passed during recent special legislative sessions, Monday during a ceremony in the border city of Brownsville. SB 4 criminalizes unlawful entry to the country, while other enacted laws provide $1.5 billion for border wall construction and create a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence for human smugglers.
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of El Paso County and two immigrant rights groups Tuesday challenging Texas.
"Governor Abbott’s efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status," said Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, in a statement. "We’re using every tool at our disposal, including litigation, to stop this egregious law from going into effect."
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ACLU: 2023-12-18 Ohio abortion providers move to make heartbeat law illegal after amendment takes effect
ACLU: 2023-09-13 California quietly disavows medical misinformation law before courts can strike it down
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Related:
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2021-12-19 ‘Permanent’ border wall construction starting in ‘days,’ Texas land commissioner says
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2019-03-22 Border Patrol releases Hundreds to Reduce Overcrowding
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2005-09-09 Border Patrol Agents Fire on Undocumented Immigrants
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2021-12-19 ‘Permanent’ border wall construction starting in ‘days,’ Texas land commissioner says
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2019-03-22 Border Patrol releases Hundreds to Reduce Overcrowding
Texas Civil Rights Project: 2005-09-09 Border Patrol Agents Fire on Undocumented Immigrants
