Mexico’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that the Central American country will refuse to repatriate migrants that are deported because of new immigration laws passed by the U.S. state of Texas. The statement emphasized that Mexico City would refuse compliance "under any circumstances."
Texas Senate Bill 4, passed in late 2023, allows state and local law enforcement officials to arrest and deport immigrants for illegally crossing the southern border.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, confirmed his country’s policy by telling reporters at his daily news conference that “we will not accept deportations from the Texan government.” The 70-year-old leader went on to call the proposal “draconian” and “dehumanizing.”
Federal courts have recently been deliberating on the constitutionality of granting individual states the authority to regulate U.S. border regions. This legislation is currently under scrutiny in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the Biden administration is opposing the measure.
Attorneys representing the state contend that the regulations are allowable since they closely resemble current federal laws. Meanwhile, Mexico has submitted a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the White House's objections.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down similar laws in Arizona.
Related Story: Texas House Approves New Funding for Border Wall, Makes Illegal Entry a State Crime
