Biden administration threatens to SUE Texas if it allows local cops to arrest, jail and prosecute migrants flooding across the border illegally

The Biden administration has threatened to sue Texas if it allows police officers to arrest, jail and prosecute migrants who are crossing the border from Mexico.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law on December 18 which allows for local and state law enforcement to arrest and deport illegal border crossers without going through federal government channels.

But the Justice Department has warned it will file a lawsuit in protest of the bill, known as SB4, if the state did not provide assurances to federal officials by January 3 that it would refrain from enforcing it, according to CBS News.

A letter was sent to Governor Abbot on December 28 which said the new law would criminalize already illegal actions, undermine relations with Mexico and stop officials from enforcing federal immigration laws.

It comes after border officials recorded the highest number of migrant crossings ever with a seven-day average of more than 9,600 in December.

The letter sent by the Justice Department threatens legal action over the bill signed by Republican Abbott which he says could slash the number of crossings by up to three quarters as illegal entries continue to rise through the winter.

'Because SB 4 is unconstitutional and will disrupt the federal government's operations, we request that Texas forbear in its enforcement,' Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton wrote.

He added that if the state did not back down 'the United States intends to file suit to enjoin the enforcement of SB 4'.

Democrats in El Paso County and two immigration rights groups have already launched legal action against the bill and argue it is unconstitutional.

The lawsuit argues that the federal government and immigration agencies have the ultimate and exclusive authority to carry out arrests, detentions and deportations – and that Abbott cannot circumvent these procedures.

They claim that the law violates the Constitution and claim it invites racial profiling of Hispanic citizens.

SB4 would be the strictest state immigration law in modern US history and gives Texas law enforcement authorities power to stop, arrest and jail migrants on newly established state-level illegal entry charges.

State judges in Texas will also be able to issue de facto deportations against suspected violators of the law.

Entering the US illegally from Mexico could be treated as a misdemeanor, under the new bill, and would be punishable by up to 180 days in jail as well as a fine of up to $2,000.

While illegally reentering the country would be a felony and could lead to a sentence of up to 2, 10 or 20 years in jail, depending on criminal history.

It's not immediately clear how the law will be enforced or how it will work with federal authorities – like Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – also operating within Texas and other border states.

New video has revealed the human tidal wave of migrants riding trains in northern Mexico just hours away from the US border- as thousands of migrants in a caravan are traveling through southern Mexico.

Separately, thousands more asylum-seekers are already in Northern Mexico waiting to cross over.

In Chihuahua, a Mexican state just south of Texas, about 800 migrants left the capital city Christmas day headed for Juarez-- the Mexican town directly across the international boundary from El Paso, Texas, according to the Border Report.

Footage showed hundreds a top a train heading north while cars honked and cheered as they drove past the train cars.

Another 3,000 migrants are a few hours south in the town of Jimenez in a migrant camp.

It could be just a matter of days before the South and Central American asylum-seekers arrive at the US-Mexico border and begin attempting to cross into West Texas.

There is nowhere for the migrants who cross in Eagle Pass to go and they have been forced to sleep in makeshift camps and shelters.

They have been spotted patiently waiting for their turn to be processed, and were wrapped in 'space blankets' - sheets of foil commonly seen after marathons that effectively retain heat.

El Paso has sent 139 buses to Chicago in recent months with the help of state officials, according to the City of El Paso's migrant dashboard.

Last week, the Texas Division of Emergency Management or TDEM, which handles migrant transports, chartered its first flight with migrants to Chicago to avoid growing restrictions over when and where migrants can be dropped off.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12907973/Biden-administration-threatens-SUE-Texas-bill-prosecute-migrants.html

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