Law letting state police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing US-Mexico border can proceed pending court challenge

The White House strongly criticised the US supreme court on Tuesday for allowing what it called a “harmful and unconstitutional” Texas immigration law to go into effect.

The law, Senate Bill 4 (SB4), allows state authorities to arrest, process and imprison people suspected of crossing the US-Mexico border illegally – thereby infringing on roles long reserved for federal authorities.

The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said: “We fundamentally disagree with the supreme court’s order allowing Texas’s harmful and unconstitutional law to go into effect. SB4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border.”