AUSTIN, Texas — A controversial Texas immigration law is set to go to trial later this year.
On Thursday, Federal Judge David Ezra ordered Senate Bill 4 to go to trial on July 8 in Austin.
SB 4 would allow state and local law enforcement to arrest and deport people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border at any place other than a port of entry. It also allows judges to order people back across the border.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially signed SB 4 into law in December 2023, and it was supposed to go into effect in March 2024, but the law has been stopped from going into effect several times as numerous lawsuits from civil rights groups and the Department of Justice have been filed against the state.
The most recent pause, which was issued in March 2024, is still in effect.
Immigrant advocacy groups and El Paso County brought the lawsuit in 2023, arguing that it would lead to racial profiling. Federal prosecutors also argue the bill’s unconstitutionality, claiming that the federal government is the only entity that can dictate foreign policy and enforce immigration laws.