Texas has begun the campaign to restore the role of states, especially border states, in combating illegal immigration.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law SB No. 4, which authorizes state authorities to arrest and order illegal aliens to return to the foreign nation from which they entered.
State authorities may do so without involving federal law enforcement or the labyrinthine federal process for adjudicating immigration claims.
But in the era of lawfare, bicameral legislative support and the signature of the state’s chief executive is not enough. Laws like Texas’ must receive the blessing of the federal courts. Although that is normally an obstacle to be avoided, here, Texas may hope that the federal courts hear a challenge to the law.
Current Supreme Court precedent stands in the way of Texas’ designs, but that obstacle will not be removed…
