Supreme Court pauses controversial Texas immigration law

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily halted enforcement of a Texas law governing immigration.  The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday had granted a week-long stay on an Austin district court’s decision relating to a Texas immigration law. U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra’s ruling last week blocked enforcement of Texas’s SB4. He said states could not enforce federal immigration laws without authorization from the federal government. In SB4, Texas granted itself the authority to do exactly that. The law had been scheduled to take effect on Tuesday.

Did the Appeals court says Texas can enforce this law? The appeals court granted Texas’ motion to temporarily block Ezra’s decision but delayed its opinion from taking effect for seven days so the United States could file an appeal with the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Texas has until March 11 to put forward its arguments.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about how evangelicals in the United States seek to bring a Biblical worldview to the immigration debate.