El Paso sues to block Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s new immigration law

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is being sued by Democrats and immigration rights groups after he signed a law allowing his police to arrest and detain illegal migrants crossing the border into Mexico. El Paso County, one of the most Democratic enclaves in Texas, is joining two immigrant groups in a legal effort to block the measures.

The lawsuits were filed as it emerged that the US saw the most migrants crossing the border in history in the past 24 hours, with more than 14,000 encountered by overwhelmed border agents. Abt's bill would allow local and state law enforcement to arrest and deport illegal border crossers without federal government intervention.

The lawsuit argues that the federal government and immigration authorities have the ultimate and exclusive authority to make arrests, detentions and deportations – and that Abbott cannot circumvent these procedures. Democrats, as well as civil rights and pro-immigration groups, argue that the law violates the Constitution and invites racial profiling of Hispanic citizens.

Abbott signed the bill Monday, calling the new law “so extreme” that he believed it would deter migrants from crossing into Texas from Mexico. Latest figures show 2,000 migrants are crossing the border every day, with Texas bearing the brunt of the crisis – and new images show border crossers waiting in line to be processed just days before Christmas.

Ironically, when Abbott signed his new law on Monday, he set a new all-time high with at least 12,600 encounters in a 24-hour period. The stunning spike comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it would suspend rail operations at both the El Paso and Eagle Pass international border crossings in Texas.

The new law, known as SB4, gives law enforcement authorities in Texas the power to stop, arrest and jail migrants on newly established charges of illegal entry. State judges in Texas will also be able to issue de facto deportations against suspected violators of the law.

It's not immediately clear how the law will be enforced or how it will work with federal authorities — such as Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — who also operate in Texas and other border states. Union Pacific Railroad is urging El Paso and Eagle Pass to reopen rail operations at key border crossings with Mexico after suspending them due to major spikes in illegal activity this month.

“These locations represent 45% of Union Pacific cross-border activity and include goods critical to the U.S. economy. There is not enough capacity at our other four gateways to reroute them,” the railroad wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. “With Christmas and New Year's Day just days away, Union Pacific is in close contact with multiple government agencies and our customers, urging that border crossings closed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection be reopened,” the company added to it.

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