Federal Appeals Court Allows Texas to Enforce State Immigration Law

A federal district court had blocked the law two years ago, saying it would have interfered with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. Army combat engineers place razor wire on the U.S.–Mexico border wall to reinforce security in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, July 24, 2025. Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

A divided federal appeals court on April 24 allowed Texas to enforce a state law that permits the arrest and prosecution of individuals thought to have unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 10–7 to undo a 2024 injunction that had prevented enforcement of the law known as Senate Bill 4. Initially, the former Biden administration had challenged the statute, but the second Trump administration dropped the challenge in March 2025.