Just weeks after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction blocking a Texas law that allows local law enforcement to enforce immigration law, a coalition of civil rights groups filed a new legal challenge that drew a rebuke from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who said he wrote the legislation himself.
Approved by lawmakers in 2023, Senate Bill (SB) 4, filed by Texas Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) during the fourth special session of the 88th Legislature, established a criminal offense for illegal entry into the state from a foreign nation, and also provided a mechanism for judges to order offenders to return to their nation of origin.
