In a recent development, the Trump administration has opted to dismiss a lawsuit originally filed during the Biden administration against the state of Texas. The legal action challenged a state law that allows local law enforcement to arrest migrants crossing the border illegally. This decision follows the administration’s earlier move to drop similar lawsuits against Iowa and Oklahoma over comparable state immigration measures.
The contentious Texas law, known as Senate Bill 4, was criticized by the Biden administration’s Justice Department, which argued that it undermined federal immigration authority and was unconstitutional. Republican Governor Greg Abbott enacted the legislation in 2023, granting local police the power to arrest individuals for illegal entry into the U.S., a jurisdiction traditionally held by federal immigration officers. The law also empowers judges to mandate the deportation of those found to have entered the country unlawfully. Although the law was briefly in effect, it was halted by a federal appeals court shortly after its implementation.
Gov. Abbott advanced this legislation as a countermeasure against what he described as the Biden administration’s insufficient enforcement of immigration laws. The law sets Texas apart with its broad allowances for local law enforcement to engage directly in immigration actions. Legal analysts and critics have deemed it one of the most expansive state-level immigration measures.
This legislative move is a part of Abbott’s broader strategy to assert state influence over immigration matters during the Biden presidency. His initiatives have included relocating tens of thousands of migrants to cities governed by Democrats and placing large floating barriers in the Rio Grande to hinder crossings from Mexico. The Trump administration’s decision not to pursue the lawsuit against Texas signals alignment with similar legal stances dropped in Iowa and Oklahoma.