Supreme Court to allow Texas to enforce immigration laws

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Texas will be allowed to enforce a contentious new immigration law while it works its way through the courts.

In a ruling Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected a rejected an emergency request by the Biden administration to put the law on hold.

The law, known as Senate Bill (SB) 4, allows police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border from Mexico. It would also empower state judges to order people to be deported to Mexico.

The White House says the measure tramples on the federal government's authority to oversee immigration issues, but Texas Governor Gregg Abbott says the law is necessary to protect Texas from what he calls "an invasion."

SB4 could still be blocked at a later date. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has not yet decided whether to grant the federal government's request to block the law.