A U.S. appeals court has upheld a decision to block a Texas law allowing state authorities to arrest and prosecute individuals suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The law, known as S.B. 4, would make it a state crime to enter or re-enter Texas from a foreign country without authorization. President Joe Biden's administration has argued that the law infringes on the federal government's authority over immigration.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied Texas's request to allow the law to take effect while the state appeals a judge's ruling blocking it.
The court cited a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that states cannot adopt immigration enforcement measures that conflict with federal law.
The law has become a focal point in the broader dispute between Texas and the Biden administration over border security and immigration.
It would empower state judges to order violators to leave the United States, with possible prison sentences of up to 20 years for non-compliance.
The 5th Circuit panel's decision follows a series of rapid rulings on the law's status.
Last week, the Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect, but the 5th Circuit panel quickly reinstated the injunction blocking enforcement.
The Biden administration has argued that immigration enforcement is solely the federal government's responsibility and that the Texas law would disrupt the enforcement of complex U.S. immigration laws.
Civil rights groups and the Biden administration welcomed Tuesday's ruling, calling the law unconstitutional.
However, some local law enforcement officials in Texas expressed skepticism about the law's impact, citing limited resources for enforcement.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a vocal critic of Biden's immigration policies, signed the law in December, citing the need to address record levels of illegal entries. The Border Patrol has been averaging around 3,800 migrant arrests per day border-wide over the past week, according to internal government data.
The Biden administration and critics of the law argue that migrants can already be charged with illegal entry or re-entry under federal laws.
They also warn that the law could lead to racial profiling by state authorities.
The legal challenge to the Texas law is part of a broader legal battle between Republican state officials and the Biden administration over border security measures, including the placement of razor-wire fencing and a floating barrier in the Rio Grande river.