Supreme Court clears way for Texas police to arrest and deport migrants

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• Amna Nawaz:

  Welcome to the "NewsHour."

  The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for Texas to enforce a controversial immigration law for now. The law allows state officials to arrest and deport migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally.

• Geoff Bennett:

  The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor warning — quote — "The court gives a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal state-balance of power and sow chaos."

  Challenges to the law are not over, as the justices sent the case back to a lower court.

  "NewsHour" Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle has been following the decision and joins us now.

  Marcia, it's great to see you.

  So, the Supreme Court will allow Texas to enforce for now this contentious new law that gives local police the authority to arrest migrants. How did the justices arrive at this ruling?

• Marcia Coyle:

  Well, first of all, Geoff, it appears to be a 6-3 decision not to grant the Biden administration a temporary pause on the law taking effect.

  The only one who wrote in the majority was Justice Barrett, and she was joined by Justice Kavanaugh. And her bottom line seems to be that it is premature for the Supreme Court to act on the administration's request at this time while the lower federal appellate court, the Fifth Circuit, still had before it the question of whether to pause the law while the — an appeal goes forward in that Fifth Circuit.

• Geoff Bennett:

  So, this law now goes into effect as the litigation continues in the lower courts. What happens next? What are the implications?

• Marcia Coyle:

  OK, well, first of all, the lower federal appellate court, I believe, has scheduled arguments for the first week in April on whether it should pause the law while an appeal goes forward.

  But with the law, the law would immediately take effect now, and Texas will begin to implement it. It, as you said, allows law enforcement officials to arrest undocumented immigrants who cross the border illegally, allows them to deport them to Mexico. State judges can make the deportations.

  It is quite a departure from what federal law has historically given the responsibility to the federal government. Texas, on the other hand, claims that its law mirrors the federal law and that many states cooperate.

• Geoff Bennett:

  That is "NewsHour" Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle.

  Marcia, thanks, as always.

• Marcia Coyle:

  My pleasure, Geoff.