Federal Judge Blocks Texas Immigration Law SB4 Hours Before Enforcement

A U.S. federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against key provisions of Texas Senate Bill 4, halting the law just one day before it was scheduled to take effect. The legislation, passed in 2023, aimed to criminalize illegal border crossings at the state level and empower local police to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants. It also mandated that state judges order convicted individuals to return to Mexico. U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra ruled that these sections are unconstitutional, emphasizing that immigration authority resides exclusively with the federal government and stating that Texas is not its own country. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups arguing that the law lacks defenses for individuals with federal permission to enter or pending immigration status. This ruling comes after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously dismissed a different challenge to the law on procedural grounds regarding plaintiff standing, without addressing the constitutional merits. The Texas Attorney General's office did not immediately comment on the latest judicial block.