Mexico files Amicus Brief in US court of appeals in opposition to Texas immigration law News
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Mexico files Amicus Brief in US court of appeals in opposition to Texas immigration law

Mexico filed an amicus brief Thursday with the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, voicing opposition to Texas Immigration Law SB 4, which authorizes Texas authorities to arrest and prosecute individuals suspected of illegal entry across the US-Mexico border. 

On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court reversed its position and allowed the Texas law criminalizing illegal entry to go into effect. However, in a rapid twist of events just hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit imposed its own block on the law, reinstating the preliminary injunction.

Mexico’s amicus brief vigorously opposes SB 4’s potential discriminatory enforcement, arguing that SB 4 is targeting Mexican citizens and those of Latino descent, thus undermining their human rights and dignity, stating:

Mexico is deeply concerned that SB 4 will be applied in a discriminatory manner and fears that its enforcement will lead to improper harassment, detention, removal, and criminalization of Mexican citizens and individuals of Latino appearance. Moreover, if SB 4 is permitted to take effect, Texas would become a “show me your papers” state, unconstitutionally restricting freedom and diminishing the civil and constitutional rights and dignity of Latinos who live in and visit Texas. SB 4’s enforcement threatens the well-being of persons erroneously detained under its auspices, as well as their families, including family members who are U.S. citizens.

Mexico further asserted that SB 4 undermines the federal government’s exclusive purview over immigration matters, citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. United States. In that ruling, the Court not only invalidated several provisions of Arizona’s stringent immigration laws but also affirmed that “the Government of the United States has broad, undoubted power over the subject of immigration.” Mexico contends that this means that individual states, including Texas, do not possess the authority to enact immigration laws that conflict with or override federal policies.

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