Communities are wary as an appeals court weighs legality of Texas immigration law
Eagle Pass shares three international border crossings with Piedras Negras, Mexico. About 95% of its population is Hispanic of Mexican descent. Border communities like this one now await the fate of a state law that allows police to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. If found guilty, a magistrate judge could expel that person to Mexico— even if they are not Mexican. The Biden Administration sued the state of Texas over the law, known as SB4, arguing that only the federal government can create immigration law. While the case is pending, SB4 hasn’t been enforced. But a ruling is expected soon, and that’s making immigrant communities in Texas uneasy – especially coupled with another measure passed by the Texas legislature that would punish anyone found to have been aiding someone who is in the U.S. illegally.