Current:Home > ScamsFeds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue-LoTradeCoin
Feds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue
lotradecoin beginners View Date:2024-12-25 12:31:35
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! (31445)
Related
- Southern California forecast of cool temps, calm winds to help firefighters battle Malibu blaze
- Mysterious and fatal dog respiratory illness now reported in 14 states: See the map.
- Kenosha man gets life in prison for fatally stabbing his father, stepmother with a machete in 2021
- Chinese AI firm SenseTime denies research firm Grizzly’s claim it inflated its revenue
- New Jersey, home to many oil and gas producers, eyes fees to fight climate change
- Audio intercepts reveal voices of desperate Russian soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine: Not considered humans
- Massive crocodile sighting: Watch 14-foot 'Croczilla' in Florida Everglades
- A Husky is unable to bark after he was shot in the snout by a neighbor in Phoenix
- Through 'The Loss Mother's Stone,' mothers share their grief from losing a child to stillbirth
- Robert De Niro says Apple, Gotham Awards cut his anti-Trump speech: 'How dare they do that'
Ranking
- Drew Barrymore has been warned to 'back off' her guests after 'touchy' interviews
- Oshkosh and Dutch firms awarded a $342 million contract to produce equipment trailers for US Army
- Thick fog likely caused a roughly 30-vehicle collision on an Idaho interstate, police say
- Inside the Weird, Wild and Tragically Short Life of Anna Nicole Smith
- Fewer U.S. grandparents are taking care of grandchildren, according to new data
- Heidi Klum Shares Special Photo of All 4 Kids Looking So Grown Up
- Elon Musk visits Israel amid discussions on Starlink service in Gaza
- Ukraine spy chief’s wife undergoes treatment for suspected poisoning with heavy metals
Recommendation
-
Our 12 favorites moments of 2024
-
One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals Where She Found “Safety” Amid Exit From Cult Life
-
Sierra Leone’s leader says most behind the weekend attacks are arrested, but few details are given
-
Where to watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' this holiday
-
The burial site of the people Andrew Jackson enslaved was lost. The Hermitage says it is found
-
Texas abortion case goes before state's highest court, as more women join lawsuit
-
Sarah Jessica Parker's Amazon Holiday Picks Include an $8 Gua Sha Set, $24 Diffuser & More
-
Tornadoes forecast in the Black Sea region as storm reportedly impacts Russian military operations