Juez de EE. UU. bloquea ley de Texas que permite detención de migrantes / Judge blocks Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants who illegally enter US

Agencia AFP
La decisión se conoce en momentos en que el presidente demócrata, Joe Biden, y el exgobernante Donald Trump (de fuerte discurso antimigración) viajan a Texas para realizar visitas paralelas a la frontera sur.

Un juez de Estados Unidos bloqueó temporalmente el jueves una ley de Texas que permitía desde marzo la detención, prisión o expulsión de migrantes que hayan cruzado la frontera por pasos no autorizados y que permanezcan en este estado fronterizo con México.

“Los estados no pueden ejercer control migratorio, excepto aquel que le autorice el gobierno federal (…) Esta norma entra en conflicto con aspectos clave de la ley migratoria federal y afecta las relaciones exteriores de Estados Unidos”, dijo el juez de distrito David Ezra en una resolución de carácter temporal.

Ezra se pronunció mientras se resuelve un litigo de fondo entre el gobierno estatal y federal sobre el control en la frontera.

La decisión se conoce en momentos en que el presidente demócrata, Joe Biden, y el exgobernante Donald Trump (de fuerte discurso antimigración) viajan a Texas para realizar visitas paralelas a la frontera sur.

Si no hay sorpresas, ambos se enfrenarán en las presidenciales de noviembre, con la migración como un tema clave.

En diciembre de 2023, el gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, aliado de Trump, firmó la ley SB 4, aprobada por el parlamento del estado.

La normativa se respaldó en lo que él denominó el derecho constitucional de Texas de defenderse ante una “invasión”, cuando los cruces de migrantes, principalmente de América Latina que buscan mejores condiciones de vida, alcanzan cifras récord.

Abbott culpa a Biden de la crisis migratoria. La norma permitía a la policía y fuerzas de seguridad pública de Texas arrestar a personas en el estado que no puedan comprobar que haya cruzado la frontera legalmente y llevarlas a la justicia estatal, donde bien podrían aplicarles penas de hasta 20 años o expulsarlas a México, sin considerar si este país puede aceptarlos.

“Esta ley está dirigida a cualquier persona indocumentada que viva en Texas, ya sea que haya estado durante 10 minutos o durante 10 años y tenga hijos en la escuela”, señaló recientemente Rubén García, presidente del refugio de migrantes Annunciation House.

Abbott ha militarizado un parque en la ciudad de Eagle Pass con acceso al río Grande, frontera natural entre Texas y México, tendió cercas de alambre de púas en un tramo de la ribera e inició la construcción de una base militar.

Todo ello hizo que la administración Biden lleve el tema a la justicia, porque la frontera es jurisdicción federal.

“La inmigración no constituye una ‘invasión’ (…) ni Texas está participando en una guerra”, agregó el juez.

Abbott apelará. “No me preocupa, era lo que esperaba. El juez de primera instancia admite que este caso será decidido por la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos. Estoy de acuerdo. Texas tiene bases legales sólidas para defenderse de una invasión”, escribió en X.

Judge blocks Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants who illegally enter US

BY ACACIA CORONADO – AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge blocked a new Texas law that would give police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S., dealing a victory to the Biden administration with a broad rejection of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s immigration enforcement effort.

U.S. District Judge David Ezra’s preliminary injunction pausing a law that was set to take effect March 5 came as President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger in November, Donald Trump, were visiting Texas’ southern border to discuss immigration.

The state attorney general’s office immediately appealed the ruling, according to a statement Thursday.

The ruling rebuked Texas’ immigration enforcement effort on multiple fronts, brushing off claims by Republicans about an ongoing “invasion” along the southern border due to record-high illegal crossings. Ezra also said the law violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause, conflicts with federal immigration law, and could hamper U.S. foreign relations and treaty obligations.

It is the second time in six months that Ezra has stopped one of Abbott’s border escalations, having also ruled against a floating barrier Texas erected in the Rio Grande.

Allowing Texas to “permanently supersede federal directives” due to a so-called invasion would “amount to nullification of federal law and authority — a notion that is antithetical to the Constitution and has been unequivocally rejected by federal courts since the Civil War,” the judge wrote.

In a statement, Abbott blamed the influx of migrants on Biden and said “we will not back down in our fight to protect our state — and our nation.”

“Texas has the right to defend itself because of President Biden’s ongoing failure to fulfill his duty to protect our state from the invasion at our southern border,” he wrote, noting that he believes the case will ultimately end up before the Supreme Court.

Civil rights groups who sued the state have argued that if allowed to stand, the law — Senate Bill 4 — could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling. They released a joint statement celebrating the decision.

“With today’s decision, the court sent a clear message to Texas: S.B. 4 is unconstitutional and criminalizing Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant communities will not be tolerated,” said Jennifer Babaie, director of advocacy and legal services with Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.

The Biden administration’s lawsuit over the law is one several legal battles between it and Texas over how far the state can go to try to prevent migrants from crossing the border.

Under the rejected law, state law enforcement officers could arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. Once in custody, they could agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the country or face a misdemeanor charge for entering the U.S. illegally. Migrants who don’t leave after being ordered to do so could be arrested again and charged with a more serious felony.

Texas has been arresting migrants for years under a more limited program based on arrests for criminal trespassing.

At a Feb. 15 hearing, Ezra expressed skepticism as the state pleaded its case. Ezra, who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, said he feared the U.S. could become a confederation of states enforcing their own immigration laws. In his ruling, he doubled down on the thought, adding that “SB4 threatens the fundamental notion that the United States must regulate immigration with one voice.”

Republicans who back the law have said it would not target immigrants already living in the U.S. because of the two-year statute of limitations on the illegal entry charge and would be enforced only along the state’s border with Mexico.

Other Republican governors have expressed support for Abbott, who has said the federal government is not doing enough to enforce immigration laws.

Among other things, Texas placed the floating barrier in the Rio Grande, put razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border and stopped Border Patrol agents from accessing a riverfront park in Eagle Pass that they previously used to process migrants.

more in original source https://apnews.com/article/texas-migrant-arrests-court-ruling-3bcded91620cbd9686575caa6bcac203