ACLU sues Texas over controversial immigration law

The American Civil Liberties Union sued Texas on Tuesday to block a controversial law that would allow police to detain migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border and authorize judges to order their deportation.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal district court, alleges that the bill is unconstitutional and that it runs afoul of federal immigration law.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit with the ACLU of Texas and the Texas Civil Rights Project on behalf of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, American Gateways and the County of El Paso, Texas.

“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, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU, said in a statement.

The legislation is the latest in a series of efforts by Texas Republicans to test the limits of the state's authority to tighten border security and stem illegal immigration.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on Monday and it is set to take effect in March.

"President Biden has repeatedly refused to enforce federal immigration laws already on the books and do his job to secure the border. In his absence, Texas has the constitutional authority to secure our border through historic laws like SB 4," Abbott said in a statement to POLITICO, adding that his administration would see the fight through to the Supreme Court if necessary.