Current:Home > NewsFeds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Feds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue
View Date:2024-12-23 19:46:05
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! (72236)
Related
- Jax Taylor Breaks Silence on Brittany Cartwright Dating His Friend Amid Their Divorce
- Cupshe Blowout 70% Off Sale: Get $5 Swimsuits, $9 Bikinis, $16 Dresses, and More Major Deals
- Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter CEO once he finds a replacement
- Feds sue AmerisourceBergen over 'hundreds of thousands' of alleged opioid violations
- As the transition unfolds, Trump eyes one of his favorite targets: US intelligence
- New York’s Use of Landmark Climate Law Could Resound in Other States
- Mary-Louise Parker Addresses Ex Billy Crudup's Marriage to Naomi Watts
- Trump says he'd bring back travel ban that's even bigger than before
- Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
- Chelsea Handler Trolls Horny Old Men Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and More Who Cannot Stop Procreating
Ranking
- Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
- Republicans plan more attacks on ESG. Investors still plan to focus on climate risk
- Amid blockbuster decisions on affirmative action, student loan relief and free speech, Supreme Court's term sees Roberts back on top
- Video: Regardless of Results, Kentucky’s Primary Shows Environmental Justice is an Issue for Voters
- Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
- Coal Is On Its Way Out in Indiana. But What Replaces It and Who Will Own It?
- Target recalls weighted blankets after reports of 2 girls suffocating under one
- Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards' Daughter Sami Clarifies Her Job as Sex Worker
Recommendation
-
'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
-
Transcript: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Face the Nation, July 9, 2023
-
John Mellencamp Admits He Was a S--tty Boyfriend to Meg Ryan Nearly 4 Years After Breakup
-
Can America’s First Floating Wind Farm Help Open Deeper Water to Clean Energy?
-
Caitlin Clark has one goal for her LPGA pro-am debut: Don't hit anyone with a golf ball
-
How an 11-year-old Iowa superfan got to meet her pop idol, Michael McDonald
-
Environmental Groups Don’t Like North Carolina’s New Energy Law, Despite Its Emission-Cutting Goals
-
Q&A: A Pioneer of Environmental Justice Explains Why He Sees Reason for Optimism