The U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas on Wednesday over a new state law that allows Texas police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally.
“Texas cannot disregard the United States Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement. “We have brought this action to ensure that Texas adheres to the framework adopted by Congress and the Constitution for regulation of immigration.”
The lawsuit was filed in an Austin federal court and names Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw. It asks the court to declare the state law unconstitutional and prevent Texas from implementing it.
