The text, signed in December by the Republican governor, aims to create a “criminal offense of illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country,” punishable by six months in prison or up to 20 years in the event of a repeat offense.
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A controversial Texas law that criminalizes illegal entries into this Mexican border state was suspended once again by a federal court on Tuesday, March 19, just hours after the United States Supreme Court ruled to the contrary. The court, with a conservative majority, lifted the suspension of the law on Tuesday on procedural grounds. This was to provisionally allow the text to enter into force, initially scheduled for 5 March. But on Tuesday evening, a federal appeals court again suspended the law.
Texas builds on legislation signed in December by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican “The Criminal Offense of Illegal Entry into Texas from a Foreign Country”, in the event of a repeat offence, the punishment is six months in jail or up to 20 years. Giving state authorities the power to arrest migrants and deport them to Mexico is contested, particularly by the Ministry of Justice and NGOs supporting immigrants.
An avowed supporter of Donald Trump, who made his rejection of immigration a centerpiece of his election campaign, Greg Abbott has for months openly challenged the authority of Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. He accuses her“Deliberate Inaction” faced the influx of migrants he describes“attack”. The White House condemned the Supreme Court’s decision “Authorizing enforcement of harmful and unconstitutional Texas law”.
