Less than 24 hours after the second stay of SB4 was issued by Justice Samuel Alito, the U.S. Supreme Court has lifted the blocking, which means the Texas law is now in effect.
Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, who was on Houston's Morning News this morning, told FOX, "I'm ecstatic, this is going to be a great ruling for border security simply because it's going to be that deterrent that we're looking for. Anytime that you hold somebody accountable for violating our laws, you can expect a decrease in those violations. We're going to see a decrease in illegal immigration through the state of Texas."
Senate Bill 4 was passed last year as part of a priority package of immigration and border security bills favored by by Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders. The legislation also permits local judges to order a migrant to return to Mexico regardless of their nationality.
The bill was originally scheduled to take effect March 5, but it’s implementation was blocked by liberal U.S. District Judge David Ezra. On Feb. 29, Ezra ruled the law is likely unconstitutional because the federal government has jurisdiction over immigration matters.
SB 4 would allow state and local police in Texas to arrest people they suspect of crossing the border illegally. The state says it needs to step in because the Biden administration has failed to enforce U.S. immigration law.
The future of the bill remains unclear, with an appeal of Judge Ezra's ruling still pending before the appeals court.
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