Mexico says it will not accept people deported from Texas

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday condemning a controversial Texas immigration law. The statute, known as Senate Bill 4, would allow Texas state officials to enforce immigration law by detaining and deporting suspected illegal migrants. The Mexican government claims a “legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States” and said it would not accept immigrants deported by Texas officials. Mexico also alleged that SB4 would generate “hostile environments…expressions of hate, discrimination, and racial profiling” for millions of Mexicans in the state. The law was briefly enacted after a Supreme Court order on Tuesday, but paused once again hours later by another order from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Why did an appeals court rule after a SCOTUS ruling? The Supreme Court rejected an emergency injunction request from the Biden administration. The order allowed Texas officials to enforce SB4 while an appeals court considered overturning a previous federal ruling. SCOTUS did not rule on the law's constitutionality, which is why litigation around SB4 continues. A three-judge panel gave a 2-1 ruling hours after the SCOTUS order, allowing the temporary block to continue. The Louisiana-based appeals court panel heard oral arguments in a virtual courtroom Wednesday to decide whether the law may be enforced while litigation continues.

What happened at the hearing? Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson defended the law, asserting “Texas has a right to defend itself.” U.S. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Priscilla Richman, appointed by President George W. Bush, questioned the law's execution and noted that no other state has the right to deport illegal citizens. Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham, appointed by President Donald Trump, pointed out that the Biden administration likely would not be able to discredit the entire law, which is required for the court’s temporary pause of the law in its entirety to continue. In response, U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Daniel Tenny argued that the court could block certain sections of the law.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in WORLD Magazine on how Texas communities grapple with the rising migrant population.