Under a deal between Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas state police force—consisting of some 5,000 officers—is being given the power to interrogate anyone suspected to be undocumented about their immigration status and to arrest people who are believed to be in the country without papers, without first obtaining a warrant. The move is heightening concerns that already exist about racial profiling in the Trump administration’s country-wide immigration crackdown.
From The New Humanitarian, Nov. 7.
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Photo: Texas Department of Public Safety via Facebook
Court clears way for Texas to enforce migrant arrest law
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 29 cleared the way for Texas to enforce Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), staying a district court injunction that had blocked the state immigration enforcement measure from taking effect. The decision allows Texas law enforcement officers to arrest people suspected of entering the country without authorization and empowers state magistrates to order their removal. (Jurist)