TEXAS  — Striking a defiant tone, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday to say the state is “still using its authority to arrest illegal immigrants for criminal trespass and other violations of the law.”

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday again prevented Texas' controversial Senate Bill 4 immigration law from taking effect

  • The law would give police in the state broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally 

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the state is "still using its authority to arrest illegal immigrants for criminal trespass"

  • A one-page order by Justice Samuel Alito suggests the court will take additional action

It came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt Texas another legal setback, indefinitely blocking a state law that would give police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. Once in custody, they could either agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Migrants who don’t leave could face arrest again under more serious felony charges.

The law was set to take effect this month. 

“We continue building the wall, use NG to erect razor wire barriers to repel migrants & buoys remain in river,” Abbott continued.

A one-page order by Justice Samuel Alito suggests the court will take additional action, but it’s not known when.

This marked the second time the court has paused the law, known as Senate Bill 4. The Justice Department argues the law would permit Texas to override the federal government’s immigration powers.

The office of Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said the state’s law mirrored federal law and “was adopted to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which hurts Texans more than anyone else.”

Abbott has been adamant that the Biden administration hasn’t done enough to secure the border.

The law drew lawsuits, including one from the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This law will rupture Texas communities,” said Adriana Piñon, legal director at the ACLU of Texas. “It will strip people of their rights under federal law with devastating consequences: Families may be separated, more people may live in fear of law enforcement, and migrants may have a harder time fully integrating into our communities. This plainly unconstitutional law should never have been passed, so now we are seeking to stop its enforcement while the litigation unfolds.”  

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, spoke out following Monday's development as well, writing on X, “@Gov.Abbott’s ‘Show Me Your Papers’ law is a racist and unconstitutional overreach that empowers authorities to detain Hispanics and others for looking or sounding like immigrants. I’m glad to see this news. The Supreme Court should strike SB 4 down.”