A new Texas immigration law, SB 4, has been temporarily suspended.

A new Texas immigration law, SB 4, has been temporarily suspended. The law would give Texas police broad powers to arrest immigrants. However, a federal appeals court has suspended the law.

SB 4 would allow state officials to detain and prosecute illegal immigrants. Mexico has refused to accept immigrants deported by Texas under the new law. The Biden administration has challenged SB 4, calling it unconstitutional.

If the law is re-enacted, it will result in a major change in the way immigration enforcement is handled. Previously, courts have held that only the federal government can enforce immigration laws, not individual U.S. states. Illegally crossing a U.S. border is already a federal crime, but violations are usually handled as civil cases by the immigration court system; under SB 4, the penalty for illegal entry or re-entry into Texas is up to 20 years in prison.

While the law was temporarily in effect, Mexico did not accept any immigrants deported under SB 4 by the state of Texas. In a statement on Tuesday, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said, "Mexico categorically rejects all measures taken by state and local authorities to control immigration and to arrest and return citizens and foreigners to Mexican territory."

Mexico has previously criticized SB 4 as being "anti-immigrant" and complicating relations with the United States. This is the same argument made by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DFA stated that "SB 4 creates a hostile environment in which immigrant communities are exposed to expressions of hatred, discrimination, and racial profiling." The Foreign Ministry said Mexico will join legal efforts by President Biden's government to block SB 4.

Earlier Tuesday, the Supreme Court allowed the measure to go into effect, but a lower federal appeals court was considering its legality; three liberal judges objected from the conservative majority's decision and rejected an emergency appeal from the White House. Then, in a brief order late Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted to freeze the decision.

Historically, the federal government has created immigration laws and regulations. It is also the federal government that negotiates treaties and agreements with other countries; SB 4 was signed into law in December and was scheduled to go into effect on March 5, but legal challenges have stalled it. Republicans often criticize President Biden's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, and polls show this is a major concern of voters in the run-up to the November White House election.