A U.S. appeals court on March 1 paused a lower court ruling that had placed a temporary hold on a Texas law set to go into effect that would grant powers to prosecute and arrest illegal immigrants who had recently crossed the border.
The Texas law would make it a state crime to illegally enter or reenter Texas from a foreign country and would give state and local law enforcement the power to arrest and prosecute violators. It would also allow state judges to order people to leave the country and impose prison sentences of up to 20 years on those who refuse to comply.
