Texas Possibly 'Went Too Far' With Migrant Arrests, State Official Says
Source: Newsweek
Published Apr 03, 2024 at 8:45 PM EDT | Updated Apr 04, 2024 at 4:35 AM EDT
Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson said during a court appearance Wednesday that his state may have gone "too far" in its controversial bill that would give Texas law enforcement the authority to detain migrants.
Nielson appeared before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as Texas lawmakers continue to fight with the federal government over implementing the measure, Senate Bill 4 (S.B. 4). The three-judge panel has twice put the law, which Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed in December, on hold as the appeals court hears arguments on the bill.
The U.S. Supreme Court gave Texas the green light to enact the law on March 19, which was blocked by the 5th Circuit of Appeals several hours later. Proponents of S.B. 4 argue that allowing local and state law enforcement to arrest, detain and remove individuals suspected of entering Texas illegally is the only way to address the state's influx of migrants.
"What Texas has done here is they have looked at the Supreme Court's precedent and they have tried to develop a statute that goes up to the line of Supreme Court precedent but no further," Nielson, a conservative attorney defending S.B. 4 in court, said on Wednesday before the 5th Circuit of Appeals. "Now, to be fair, maybe Texas went too far and that is the question this court is going to have to decide," the state official added, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/texas-possibly-went-too-far-migrant-arrests-state-official-admits-1886667