Mexico will not accept repatriations of migrants by the state of Texas “under any circumstances,” the Mexican government said Tuesday after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Lone Star state could begin enforcing a controversial immigration law.
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision on Tuesday that enabled Texas to enact Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), a state law that allows Texas authorities to detain undocumented migrants and people suspected of crossing the border illegally. It also authorizes local judges to order the deportation of those found to have entered the state unlawfully.
However, a federal U.S appeals court issued an order late Tuesday that prevented Texas from enforcing the law. The case returned to court on Wednesday in Louisiana, where a panel of three federal judges “heard arguments over whether the law can take force while its constitutionality is being challenged in court” but “did not immediately issue a ruling,” according to a New York Times report Wednesday.
The Texas government, led by Governor Greg Abbott, did not announce any arrests made under SB 4 during the period on Tuesday that the law was in effect. The United States government is challenging the law, arguing that only federal authorities have the authority to detain migrants who enter the U.S. without authorization.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) published a statement on Tuesday to condemn “on behalf of the government of Mexico” SB 4’s entry into force.
The ministry said that the law “seeks to stop the flow of migrants by criminalizing them, and encouraging the separation of families, discrimination and racial profiling that violate the human rights of the migrant community.”
The SRE also said that “Mexico categorically rejects any measure that allows state or local authorities to exercise immigration control, and to arrest and return nationals or foreigners to Mexican territory.”
“… Mexico reiterates its legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory. … Mexico will not accept, under any circumstances, repatriations by the State of Texas,” the ministry said.
The Texas SB4 law unexpectedly comes into effect today, undermining the rights of migrants.
As head of @SRE_mx, I want to reiterate: the protection and support of Mexican citizens remains our top priority. I oppose any measure that criminalizes & discriminates against them.
— Alicia Bárcena (@aliciabarcena) March 19, 2024
It also said that the federal government would file “a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, Louisiana, to provide information on the impact that this law will have on the Mexican and/or Mexican American community and its effect on the relations between Mexico and the United States.”
The federal government has been speaking out against SB 4 since last year. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asserted in December that Governor Abbott was attempting to “gain popularity” with the implementation of antimigrant measures but claimed that he would instead “lose support because there are a lot of Mexicans in Texas, a lot of migrants.”
The law is “inhumane” and “politically motivated,” he said, adding that Abbott is a “man with a malicious nature” or, in his terms, “un malo de Malolandia,” or a “baddie from Badland.”
On Tuesday, Mexico’s leading presidential candidates added their voices to the condemnation of SB 4.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the candidate for the ruling Morena party, said that the law criminalizes “not just migrants” but also other people based on the color of their skin or their way of speaking or dressing.
“We issue a complaint about this unjust decision. We will always raise our voices in defense of the Mexicans on the other side of the border, who, to a large extent, support the economy of Texas,” she wrote on the X social media platform.
Xóchitl Gálvez, the candidate for the three-party opposition alliance Strength and Heart for Mexico, said that the U.S. Supreme Court allowing SB 4 to take effect violated the human rights of migrants in the United States.
“The government of Mexico must act firmly in defense of our compatriots and demand, with forceful actions, the annulment of this law that puts our migrant brothers and sisters at risk,” she wrote on X.
With reports from AP
More turdslation from Gregg Abbotthole.
A good one word summary.
Without getting into what’s going on with the Government of Texas, I understand that Mexico has stated that it will not accept anyone other than MEXICANS being deported from the U.S. for illigal entry.
That’s interesting. Mexico has had no problem with migrants from other countries entering Mexico illegally as long as they kept making the long, perilous journey to enter the U.S. illegally, with questionable expensive help from coyotes and the cartels.
Spot on George. The problem at the border should be Mexico’s problem. They got into Mexico first. For the life of me I can not figure out the logic of politicians with this disaster. Someone is making money at it or it would not exist.
Agreed, but Amlo is right too. Why would any government want o deal with 50 republics , some of which don’t know their … from a hole in the ground.
Texas has a responsibility to protect their citizens, the Federal Government has demonstrated the opposite millions of unvetted illegal military age males cross the Mexican Texas boarder traveling throughout our country with funding from America. Texas should close its boarder to anyone without a Green Card or American passport until such time the Federal Government controls the situation, unlike today. Refuse to accept unvetted, unknown, possible hostile keep them in Mexico AMLO can always keep them out of Mexico whenever he wants. It’s a game and the American people are the losers. Who is funding these people to begin with?
Yes the American people are losers
Desperation is “funding” these people. This is the US Border not the Texas Border. There was a stringent package of new border regulations passed overwhelmingly by the US Senate; the Republican controlled House of Representatives refused to vote on the bill after instructions from Donald Trump. Apparently, he wants it as an election issue more than he wants to see the problem addressed.
Many Republicans didn’t support that bill because over half of its funds were earmarked to push for more war un Ukraine.
We support Ukraine and only the Red state crazies , with low education systems, can’t figure out foreign policy far or near our borders.
What has your “support” of Ukraine achieved?
As Air Force veteran and former State Department advisor Steven Myers has stated, “Ukraine has been destroyed as a viable nation. [It’s been] depopulated, with hundreds of thousands of its precious youth dead and crippled, and its industrial and agricultural foundations have been obliterated”.
The U.S. has been sabotaging peace talks between Ukraine and Russia for over two years. Now Ukraine will be forced to the negotiation table from a greatly weakened position. It doesn’t take an advanced education to realize that your “support” has been an unmitigated disaster.
. . . regret YOU Sparky neglected to mention that the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR2 ( The Secure the Border Act of 2023 ) to the Senate, and Charlie Schumer (Democrat ) left it UNTOUCHED in his IN BOX . . . how sad you did not know this, yet Sparky does what a sparkie does . . .
There is only one thing more disgusting than American politicians, and that’s Mexican politicians.
I would suggest to Ms. Sheinbaum that she start reading the writing on the wall. Mexico is about to either change their stance on immigration or be in a world of economic hurt. Biden will not be president next year.
So, the U.S. can refuse to accept immigrants, but when Mexico says it won’t accept these SAME immigrants sent from the U.S., our President is the bad guy??? Damn! Where is the logic in that?
If the U.S. wanted to do something they would have passed the recent bill on border control, but demented Donnie wouldn’t let them. Republicans decided illegal border crossings were better than crossing demented Donnie. Decision made. Consequences follow.
Immigration is THE issue for President of the United States. The latest law from Texas is much less about solving the immigration problem than it is designed to demonstrate bravado and frankly, appear to be as mean-spirited and dehumanizing as possible. This law is about persuading voters who is going to be toughest
H.R. 2. The Secure the Border Act of 2023 was sent in May 2023 to the Senate and NOTHING WAS DONE by the Democrat controlled body . . .