Appeals court extends block on Texas immigration law

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A three judge federal appeals court ruled overnight to extend its hold on a new Texas immigration law known as Senate Bill (SB) 4.

The ruling means the measure cannot go into effect while litigation continues concerning the controversial law.

In a 2-1 vote, the three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the law should should remain blocked.

The same court temporarily froze the law March 19, just hours after the Supreme Court said it could go into effect.

"A federal power"

Judge Priscilla Richman wrote for the majority that, "For nearly 150 years, the Supreme Court has held that the power to control immigration the entry, admission, and removal of noncitizens is exclusively a federal power."

The ruling cited a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a similar law in Arizona.

SB4 would allow police to arrest migrants suspected of illegally crossing the border from mexico and impose criminal penalties. It would also empower state judges to order people to be deported to Mexico.

Texas officials can appeal Wednesday's ruling with the U.S. Supreme court.