A federal judge recently blocked the Lone Star State from enforcing a new law that would designate illegal immigration as a state crime. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra of the Western District of Texas granted a preliminary injunction that will block Texas’ Senate Bill 4 from taking effect next week. The law would give state authorities the power to arrest and jail illegal immigrants and would allow state judges to order deportations.
The judge commented in his ruling that such authority does not belong to states, as they “may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government.” However, Texas can appeal the judge’s ruling.
The injunction against the proposed law follows a lawsuit from immigration and civil rights groups against Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott. After signing the law, Abbott noted its goal to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.”
Gov. Abbott has refused to back down amid numerous challenges to his various initiatives to secure Texas’ border. The governor recently announced a Texas military base along the border with Mexico.
“Texas is expanding our border security capabilities by building a new Texas Military Department base camp to increase and improve border security operations in this area. This will increase the ability for a larger number of Texas Military Department soldiers in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and efficiently,” Abbott said.
He continued, “Before now, the Texas National Guard had been scattered across this entire region in cramped quarters, away from fellow soldiers, and sometimes traveling long distances to do their job. This base camp is going to dramatically improve conditions for our soldiers. Texas would not be able to respond to President Biden’s border crisis without the brave men and women of the Texas National Guard, and it is essential to build this base camp for them.”
The border crisis has become a hot-button political topic that will likely play a significant factor in the upcoming presidential election later this year. The rampant illegal immigration and disorder along the U.S.-Mexico border has become a focal point of criticism for the Biden administration.
Former President Donald Trump recently paid a visit to the border town Eagle Pass, Texas, where trashed Democrats for their role in the crisis. The leading GOP presidential candidate also addressed the heartbreaking murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley, who died at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
“The parents are devastated and they’re incredible people,” Trump said after speaking with Riley’s parents. He then blamed “Crooked Joe” for the “invasion” coming over the Southern Border. “This is a Joe Biden invasion. A Biden invasion. I call him crooked Joe… the most incompetent president we’ve ever had.”
“A beautiful 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia was barbarically attacked. She was on a morning run… she was a beautiful young woman,” he added. “I spoke to her parents yesterday, they are incredible people. They are devastated beyond belief. She was so beautiful in so many ways.”
Trump continued slamming Joe Biden for allowing such a horrific event to occur under his leadership. “The monster, the charge, charged in the death is an illegal alien migrant who was led into our country and released into our communities by Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump said, noting that he “took the name from Hillary because she’s no longer relevant I guess.”
Watch Gov. Abbott sound off on Biden’s border crisis here:
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