US sued Texas over Preventing State Troopers from Stopping Migrant Vehicles

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The administration of US President Joe Biden sued Texas over blocking state troopers from stopping vehicles carrying migrants on grounds. The Biden administration believes those migrants may spread Covid-19. They warned the practice could intensify problems in the middle of high-level crossings on the US-Mexico border. Point to be noted that the US Department of Justice asked for an urgent block on the order of Gov. Greg Abbott. The order allows the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion that it transports migrants. State troopers could then reroute vehicles back to their point of origin or seize them. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in El Paso mirrors a letter that Attorney General Merrick Garland sent the governor a day earlier.

The letter urged that the state was usurping and interfering with the federal government’s responsibility to enforce immigration laws. Abbott is a Republican and facing reelection next year. He argued that the federal government was interfering with his obligations to protect Texas residents. Abbott said, “It is clear from the arguments in your letter that the State of Texas and the federal government face a constitutional crisis”. The lawsuit inflames tensions between the Biden administration and Abbott over the governor’s actions on the border. It includes jailing migrants for state crimes, building new barriers, and new measures. The two-term governor has sought to claim former President Donald Trump’s hardline mantle on immigration for months. It also inflamed passions on a polarizing issue.

The civil rights groups and immigration advocates believe Abbott’s move for troopers to stop vehicles could invite racial profiling. It would also restrict the ability of shelters to take in newly arriving migrant families. The declarations were submitted with the lawsuit offered fresh evidence of large numbers of migrants showing up at the border with Mexico. The Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector is the busiest point for illegal crossings. It had at least 8,300 migrants in custody with an average processing time of 57 hours. The sector has released 100,000 migrants since 1^st October, including 9 thousand during the last week. The Homeland Security Department also reported that 646 children traveling alone were taken into custody across the Mexico border.