Justice Department moves to drop lawsuit that would allow Texas police
to arrest migrants
[March 20, 2025]
By NADIA LATHAN
AUSTIN,
Texas (AP) — The Trump administration has moved to dismiss a Biden-era
lawsuit against Texas over a state law that would allow local police to
arrest migrants who enter the country illegally, days after the
administration's decision to dismiss similar lawsuits against Iowa and
Oklahoma. |
Migrants wait to climb over concertina wire after they crossed the Rio
Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico, Sept. 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass,
Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) |
|
The Justice Department under the Biden administration had sued
Texas over concerns that the law, known as Senate Bill 4, was
unconstitutional and sought to supersede federal authority.
Signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, the law would
allow law enforcement to arrest migrants for illegal entry and
give judges the authority to order them to leave the country. It
took effect for just a few hours last year before a federal
appeals court put it on hold.
Abbott signed the bill to challenge the federal government after
accusing the Biden administration of failing to enact
immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration's decision shadows its refusal to
pursue lawsuits against Iowa and Oklahoma, which enacted similar
state immigration laws to allow state and local officials to
arrest and charge immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Texas' law has been considered the most far-encompassing by
legal experts and opponents, allowing police anywhere to carry
out immigration enforcement.
Senate Bill 4 was one of many efforts by Abbott during the Biden
administration to instill more state control over immigration
enforcement, which has included busing tens of thousands of
migrants to Democratic-controlled cities and installing giant
buoys in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing the
river from Mexico.
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