Texas border law goes to appeal court, Mexico dubs it 'dehumanizing'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Mar 2024 19:54

The Mexican President strongly denounces a Texas law empowering state law enforcement to detain migrants.

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US climb a fence with barbed wire and concertina wire, on Monday, August 21, 2023, in Texas. (AP)

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador strongly denounced a Texas law granting state law enforcement the authority to apprehend individuals suspected of unlawfully crossing the US-Mexico border, affirming that Mexico will refuse to accept anyone repatriated by Texas.

During his daily news conference, Lopez Obrador, "Let me say this once and for all, we will not accept deportations from the Texan government."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lopez Obrador described the law as "draconian", "dehumanizing", and "unjust", emphasizing its recent blockage by a federal appeals court, following a clearance by the US Supreme Court earlier on the same day. He stressed that the law's implementation would trigger a diplomatic reaction from Mexico.

"We oppose this draconian law, it is completely contrary to human rights, completely dehumanizing, anti-Christian, unjust, it violates the norms of human coexistence (and) not only international law but even violates the Bible," he said.

The big picture

A US appeals court convened, on Wednesday, to deliberate on the continued blockage of a Texas law supported by Republicans. This law would grant state authorities the authority to detain and prosecute migrants for unlawfully crossing the US-Mexico border.

A three-judge panel from the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, is deliberating on whether to permit the implementation of the law, known as SB4, while the state appeals a previous judge's ruling that halted its enforcement pending the resolution of challenges from the Biden administration and civil rights groups.

A survey conducted for Newsweek indicates that the ongoing migrant crisis has influenced #Texan attitudes toward independence.

The poll revealed that 44% of respondents are more likely or significantly more likely to support #Texas becoming a fully independent country.

Daniel… pic.twitter.com/wEOty54Slh
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 16, 2024

Aaron Nielson, representing Texas, claimed in his opening statements that SB4 aligns with federal immigration laws and constitutes a lawful exercise of the state's police powers.

However, he appeared to have difficulty responding to inquiries regarding the practical implementation of the law posed by Circuit Judge Priscilla Richman. She pointed out that no other state has asserted the authority to expel individuals residing in the country illegally.

"This is not a power that has been exercised historically by states," she said.

Initially, the 5th Circuit had temporarily halted the ruling that blocked SB4, and the US Supreme Court upheld this decision on Tuesday, briefly permitting Texas to enforce the law. However, in an unusual move, the 5th Circuit panel reversed its earlier decision with a 2-1 vote just hours later.

The debacle surrounding the Texas law is part of a broader series of legal disputes between Republican state officials and the Biden administration regarding the state's authority to oversee border security. Texas officials have attributed an increase in illegal border crossings to Biden, arguing that it strains state resources and jeopardizes public safety.

Signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in December, the statute faced legal opposition from the Biden administration, which sued in January to block it. The administration contended that the law violates the US Constitution and federal regulations by impeding the federal government's control over immigration and contravening a 2012 Supreme Court precedent.

Texas has challenged several federal immigration policies in court, including the destruction of razor-wire fencing by the US government along the border, while the Biden administration is pursuing legal action to compel the state to remove a 1,000-foot-long floating barrier in the Rio Grande River.