LatinoJustice Condemns SCOTUS Decision to Allow Texas Anti-Immigrant Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2024
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LatinoJustice Condemns SCOTUS Decision to Allow Texas Anti-Immigrant Bill
SCOTUS Lets Viciously Anti-Immigrant Bill Take Effect
Washington, DC – Rejecting decades of its own precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Texas’ anti-immigrant law, Senate Bill 4, to go into effect.
Although a district court in Texas found SB 4 to be unconstitutional because it interferes with federal authority to regulate immigration and foreign policy, the Fifth Circuit stayed the injunction. The Department of Justice’s appeal to the Supreme Court to rein in the Fifth Circuit failed, and the state of Texas will now be allowed to have local police detain, arrest, jail and deport people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, even when such actions conflict with federal immigration law.
The decision comes after both the Justice Department and immigration advocacy and civil rights groups sued the state in federal district court.
The following statement can be attributed to Karen Muñoz, Justice Catalyst Fellow at LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
“The appalling US Supreme Court decision to enforce this xenophobic anti-immigrant bill has handed over a blank check to a state administration bent on sowing terror among immigrants and Texans perceived to be immigrants. This decision will encourage other states to follow suit, unchecked by courts. Implementing SB4 will sanction racial profiling, promote unjust arrests, and cause the unlawful deportation of our community members.
“For almost a century, most recently in Arizona v. United States, SCOTUS has recognized that only the federal government can regulate immigration. Allowing the Fifth Circuit to ignore this precedent is shocking. Texas' SB4 goes far beyond what the U.S. Constitution allows and will cause irreparable damage in our community. In the face of today’s incomprehensible decision, LatinoJustice will double down its efforts to ensure that SB4, Operation Lone Star and all attempts at targeting our immigrant communities are stopped.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org