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In 2023, Texas courts were set to approve Bill 4, in which police officers and state officials could arrest individuals crossing the Mexican border illegally. The Bill allows officers to detain individuals crossing the border if there is substantial evidence that the individual is illegal.
If detained, they can remain in prison for up to six months. In more extreme cases, illegal immigrants may appear in front of federal court, facing up to 20 years in the US prison system on a second-degree felony charge.
However, the law prevents police officers from making arrests in certain spaces. These include schools, healthcare institutions such as hospitals specifically survivors of sexual assault, and places of worship. The Texas federal court expected that Bill 4 would prevent asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from making the treacherous journey across the border, in fear of remaining on the US detainee register.
Bill 4 has been suggested to be perhaps the most controversial law on immigration passed in US state history. Yet, things took a turn earlier this week when the bill was frozen.
After an appeal was made against Bill 4, authorities were waiting for the law to take its full effect. What they did not expect was for the bill to be temporarily terminated. During Joe Biden's tenancy as US President, the US border has seen its highest numbers of illegal immigrants entering the country than ever before. Supporters of the President fear that this will majorly affect the upcoming election in November later this year.
The political face-off over Bill 4 has been going on since late 2023. Yet, events came to a pique on Tuesday, when the Supreme Court ruled that the bill would be passed. However, later on Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit voted, by a panel of three judges, to freeze the bill. This provided just another drop in the ocean of backlash given to Bill 4, slowly but surely preventing it from being used in action.
The US has a long history of intense immigration bills imposed on illegal immigrants, with both former President Donald Trump and President Biden using this opportunity to capitalize on the mounting pressures to get a handle on migrants crossing the borders.
Famous individuals have begun to comment on the shocking Bill 4, with the founder of Tesla and owner of X Elon Musk publicly announcing his condemnation of the Biden administration. After the Bill was frozen on Tuesday, Musk was shocked that the federal court had to do the job of President Biden’s administration, gaining significant traction on X.
The back-and-forth of the bill will have significant impacts on the journey of migrants crossing the border, perhaps increasing an already perilous journey into the US.
Edited By: Ayantika Ghosh
