Texas Immigration Law On Hold

A Texas law that would allow state police to arrest and deport migrants who cross illegally into the United States from Mexico was again placed on hold, the latest in an ongoing legal back-and-forth over its fate.

The administration of Democratic President Joe Biden has strongly opposed the law, known as Senate Bill 4, arguing that the federal government has authority over immigration matters, not individual states.

A federal judge last month temporarily blocked the law passed by the Republican majority in the Texas state legislature saying it "conflicts with key provisions of federal immigration law."

But a conservative-dominated appeals court said SB 4 could go into force unless the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.

The nation's highest court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, issued a temporary stay on SB 4 earlier this month but lifted it, allowing it to take effect while legal challenges play out in lower courts.

But the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals put the law back on hold. That hold, however, could be soon again reversed -- allowing the law to go back into effect as arguments over it continue.

The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court had dissented.

Mexico said it "will not accept, under any circumstances, repatriations by the state of Texas," including Mexican citizens.

Migrants in Mexico, meanwhile, said they still planned on crossing the border.

Republicans blame Biden for the recent record flow of migrants into the United States, while the White House accuses Republicans of deliberately sabotaging a bipartisan attempt to find a solution.

SB 4 is the latest immigration flashpoint between Abbott and federal authorities.

The US Justice Department has also filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of a floating barrier installed by Texas authorities in the Rio Grande river to stop migrants crossing from Mexico.