Appeals court keeps block to Texas law allowing state law enforcement to arrest illegal migrants

A new Texas law that allows state law enforcement to detain and deport migrants will remain on hold, following an appeals court ruling late Tuesday that said the statutes “significantly impair the exercise of discretion by federal immigration officials.”

The 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit follows conflicting court rulings over the law, enacted in December 2023 by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Supreme Court temporarily put enforcement of the law on hold and urged the 5th Circuit to take additional action on the law.

A three-member panel of the appeals court temporarily halted it, then held a hearing on the matter, according to The Washington Post. 

That panel issued the ruling late Tuesday, the newspaper also reports.

The ruling means the law remains on hold while lawsuits trying to overturn it make their way through the court system.

The Fifth Circuit is set to hear arguments April 3 over the constitutionality of the law, according to Politico.