Mexico Will Decline Texas Deportees Following Controversial SCOTUS Decision
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a stern statement after today's SCOTUS decision saying it 'categorically rejects' Texas' SB4
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to a controversial 6-3 Supreme Court decision on Tuesday that allows Texas police to arrest anyone they suspect of crossing the US-Mexico border between points of entry. In a stunning public statement, the Mexican government said it will not accept any repatriations from Texas and that it will file a “friend-of-the-court” brief with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The statement —
“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 recognizes the importance of a uniform migration policy and the bilateral efforts with the United States to ensure that migration is safe, orderly, and respectful of human rights, and is not affected by state or local legislative decisions. In this regard, Mexico will not accept, under any circumstances, repatriations by the State of Texas.
“As part of its actions to protect the interests of Mexico and its nationals in the U.S., the Government of Mexico will file a friend-of-the-court brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals 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.”
Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who represents a large border district was not surprised by Mexico’s reaction to the SCOTUS verdict, which he opposes. “I’m guessing they [Mexico] would rather work with the federal government,” Cuellar told Capitol Press on Tuesday.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, another Texas Democrat didn’t hold back when asked to react to Mexico’s decision. “Republicans live in a fantasy world where they believe they can expel migrants anytime they want into a sovereign nation that is an important trading partner and an important neighbor,” said Escobar, adding —
Republicans are delusional. They don't understand immigration. They don't care to really understand immigration. They don't care to really come to the table with real solutions that would actually address the challenges and embrace the opportunity with immigration. And I think the state of Texas will very quickly learn just how absolutely ignorant their approach and their assumptions are.
The SCOTUS decision goes against decades of precedent declaring that states don’t have the right to regulate immigration. Notably, the high court didn't rule whether the law is constitutional, instead arguing that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals didn't follow the procedure when it reversed a federal judge's order blocking Texas’ SB 4 from going into effect.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said her colleagues were wrong for not continuing to block the law. In her dissent, she wrote that the Supreme Court "invites further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement.” Sotomayor is one of the three liberal justices who voted against the decision on Tuesday.
"Although the Court today expresses no view on whether Texas’s law is constitutional, and instead defers to a lower court’s management of its docket, the Court of Appeals abused its discretion by entering an unreasoned and indefinite administrative stay that altered the status quo.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro, another Texas Democrat, was one of the first Hill offices with a statement out after the SCOTUS decision was issued —
“By enabling the Fifth Circuit’s disingenuous procedural jurisprudence, the United States Supreme Court undermines its own credibility. The Supreme Court has opted to allow for a trial run of a constitutional crisis. SB 4 is an alarming state overreach that will likely lead to massive civil rights violations across our state. At a time of rising anti-Hispanic violence, this law puts a target on the back of anyone perceived by law enforcement to look or sound like an immigrant. While we wait for the Supreme Court’s final ruling, I’ll do everything I can to help Texans understand their rights and navigate the dangerous climate that Governor Abbott and state Republicans have created,” said Castro.