Current:Home > NewsFeds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue-InfoLens
Feds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue
View Date:2024-12-23 16:10:28
The U.S. Department of Justice says it will sue Texas if the state enforces a new law enacted this month allowing state officials to arrest and deport people who come into the U.S. illegally.
In a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the justice department said Texas' new law, SB4, oversteps into federal immigration jurisdiction and is unconstitutional.
"SB4 effectively creates a separate state immigration scheme by imposing criminal penalties for violations of federal provisions on unlawful entry... and by authorizing state judges to order the removal of noncitizens from the United States. SB4 therefore intrudes into a field that is occupied by the federal government and is preempted," wrote Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton in a letter to Abbott obtained by USA TODAY.
If Texas begins enforcing the law, the federal government will sue to block the law in court, Boynton said.
SB4, which Democratic state leaders in Texas warned could lead to racial profiling, is set to take effect in March.
Texas has until Jan. 3 to let federal officials know if the state will go forward with planned enforcement of the law, Boynton's letter says.
On X, formerly Twitter, Abbott characterized it as "hostility to the rule of law in America."
Texas civil rights organizations and El Paso County have already sued the Texas Department of Public Safety in protest of the law.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin on behalf of El Paso County and two immigrant advocacy organizations, El Paso's Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and Austin-based American Gateways.
The justice department's warning comes two days after officials in New York City announced new restrictions for buses transporting migrants to the city sent by Abbott. In recent years, Abbott has sent more than 30,000 migrants to New York City alone, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.
“New York City has begun to see another surge of migrants arriving, and we expect this to intensify over the coming days as a result of Texas Governor Abbott’s cruel and inhumane politics,” Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
What would Texas' SB4 do?
SB4 makes it a state crime to circumvent traditional immigration checkpoints and illegally cross into the U.S.
The law, signed by Abbott on Dec. 18, gives police in Texas the power to arrest anyone they suspect may have crossed the border illegally.
The law would also give state judges the power to deport individuals who appear in court on charges of illegally entering the U.S.
The day the law was enacted, Texas leaders sent a letter to the justice department expressing concern SB4 could lead to the unlawful arrest of U.S. citizens and lawful residents suspected of being immigrants by police.
"In practice, this would place people with authorization to be in the United States, even United States citizens, at risk of being forced to leave Texas," Democratic lawmakers wrote.
SB4 follows Abbott's Operation Lone Star
Abbott's enactment of SB4 comes after the governor in 2021 launched Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative that places thousands of state troopers and Texas National Guard members along the southern border with Mexico.
The operation allows state troopers and national guard members to assist federal authorities in arresting people for illegally crossing into the U.S.
The initiative has also been criticized because Texas state officials don't have the final say in enforcing immigration law, which rests with the federal government.
veryGood! (69)
Related
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- A retired Wyoming bishop cleared by Vatican of sexual abuse despite local findings has died at 91
- Judge orders new trial in 1993 murder, but discredits theory that prison escapee was the killer
- Reneé Rapp Says She Was Body-Shamed While Working on Broadway's Mean Girls
- California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
- Alec Baldwin's request to dismiss 'Rust' civil lawsuit denied by judge
- The 6 most shocking moments and revelations from HBO's new Bishop Sycamore documentary
- Billy McFarland went to prison for Fyre Fest. Are his plans for a reboot legal?
- Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
- Drug cartels are sharply increasing use of bomb-dropping drones, Mexican army says
Ranking
- Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting their first child together
- This Mexican restaurant has been around nearly 100 years. Here's how Rosita's Place endures.
- Tim McGraw is firm in his beliefs and love of his family: 'I stand for what I stand for'
- Lawsuit over deadly seaplane crash in Washington state targets aircraft operator and manufacturer
- A wayward sea turtle wound up in the Netherlands. A rescue brought it thousands of miles back home
- What exactly is colostrum, the popular supplement? And is it good for you?
- San Antonio shooter wounds 2 officers during car pursuit, police say
- The rise of Oliver Anthony and 'Rich Men North of Richmond'
Recommendation
-
Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
-
Fall books: Britney and Barbra’s memoirs are among major releases, but political books are fewer
-
Frozen corn recall: Kroger, Food Lion, Signature Select vegetables recalled for listeria risk
-
New York governor urges Biden to help state with migrant surge
-
New Mexico secretary of state says she’s experiencing harassment after the election
-
Kansas City, Missouri, says US investigating alleged racism at fire department
-
'And Just Like That...' finale review: Season 2 ends with bizarre Kim Cattrall cameo
-
Railroads resist joining safety hotline because they want to be able to discipline workers