ACLU sues over new Texas law allowing state authorities to arrest migrants for illegal entry

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday over a Texas law allowing state authorities to arrest migrants for entering the state illegally.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 on Monday, making illegal entry by a foreign national into Texas a criminal offense. The ACLU argues the law oversteps federal authority, according to a copy of the lawsuit, which includes Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, American Gateways, and the County of El Paso, Texas as plaintiffs.

“Governor Abbott’s efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status,” Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement regarding the lawsuit. “We’re using every tool at our disposal, including litigation, to stop this egregious law from going into effect.”

Illegal immigration continues to surge at the southern border, including in Texas. Border Patrol agents have seen thousands of migrants cross into Eagle Pass, Texas, in a matter of days this week, leading to the shutdown of a local railway to reassign federal authorities to help process the new arrivals.

“Four years ago, the United States had the fewest illegal border crossings in decades. It was because of four policies put in place by the Trump Administration that led to such a low number of illegal crossings. President Biden has eliminated all of those policies and done nothing to halt illegal immigration. President Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Abbott said in a statement Monday.

“These laws will help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas, add additional funding to build more border wall and crackdown on human smuggling,” Abbott said.

A spokesperson for Abbott didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment regarding the ACLU’s latest action.

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