A federal judge has blocked the implementation of a Texas law that gives local police extended authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge David Ezra issued his ruling on February 29.
The law, Texas Senate Bill 4, provides limited immunity for law enforcement professionals who arrest or otherwise detain an illegal alien, said person identified in the law as follows:
A person who is an alien commits an offense if the person enters or attempts to enter this state directly from a foreign nation at any location other than a lawful port of entry.
The bill clarifies what is an illegal alien.
(a) A person who is an alien commits an offense if the person enters, attempts to enter, or is at any time found in this state after the person:
(1) has been denied admission to or excluded, deported, or removed from the United States; or
(2) has departed from the United States…
