In a recent court filing, the Mexican government has asserted that a Texas law aimed at combating illegal immigration poses a threat to its “sovereign right” to regulate entry into its territory.
Mexico submitted an amicus brief last week in support of the Biden administration’s legal challenge against Texas’ S.B. 4. This law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott in December, permits police to detain illegal immigrants and empowers state judges to order their deportation.
The Biden administration contends that the law is unconstitutional, damages international relations, and encroaches on the federal government’s jurisdiction over immigration enforcement. Conversely, Texas argues that the law is necessary due to what it perceives as the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border and enforce immigration laws.
In its brief, Mexico emphasizes that the implementation of S.B. 4 would strain U.S.-Mexico relations, potentially affecting trade, and could result in discrimination against Mexican nationals. The document expresses concerns about potential harassment, detention, removal, and criminalization of Mexican citizens and individuals of Latino descent.
Moreover, Mexico raises apprehensions about the indiscriminate deportation of illegal immigrants to Mexico, irrespective of their nationality or Mexico’s own entry policies.
The Mexican government has openly opposed S.B. 4, asserting that its enforcement would infringe upon Mexico’s sovereign right to control its borders. Consequently, Mexico has urged the Fifth Circuit Court to maintain the injunction against the law.
Last week witnessed legal fluctuations as the Supreme Court briefly permitted S.B. 4 to take effect before remanding it to the Fifth Circuit for further deliberation. Meanwhile, Governor Abbott reaffirmed Texas’ ability to utilize trespassing laws to apprehend individuals crossing the border illegally, citing record-high border encounters in February.
“Even without S.B. 4, Texas has the legal authority to arrest people coming across the razor wire barriers on our border, and we will continue to use our arrest authority and arrest people coming across the border illegally,” Governor Abbott stated on Wednesday.
