Biden administration, Texas battling over border policies on multiple fronts

WASHINGTON: Efforts by Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stem a record number of migrants illegally crossing the US-Mexico border has set off a series of legal battles with the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Those cases could ultimately determine how much power, if any, states possess to police international borders when they disagree with federal immigration policies. The most sweeping effort made by Texas to address illegal migration is a new law known as SB4 that Abbott signed in December making it a state crime to illegally enter or re-enter Texas from a foreign country. The law, set to take effect in March, gives state law enforcement the power to arrest and prosecute violators and allows judges to order migrants to leave the US, with up to 20-year prison sentences for migrants who refuse to comply.

The Biden administration has sued to strike down the law, claiming it interferes with the federal government’s exclusive powers to police the border and enforce immigration laws. A similar lawsuit has been filed by civil rights groups which say the law blocks migrants from seeking asylum and other humanitarian relief.