Judge temporarily blocks Texas order targeting transport of migrants
A federal district judge in Texas temporarily blocked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from implementing an executive order targeting the transport of migrants who are released from custody.
The order, issued last Wednesday, was framed as a public health measure to address Covid-19, which is surging in Texas amid Abbott's opposition to new mask mandates or requirements for vaccines. The Justice Department sued two days later.
DOJ alleged the order -- in which Abbott directed state troopers to stop vehicles suspected of carrying recently released migrants -- violates the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which establishes that federal laws preempt state laws and regulations.
The lawsuit alleged that Abbott's order jeopardizes the "safety of noncitizens in federal custody, risking the safety of federal law enforcement personnel and their families, and exacerbating the spread of COVID-19 in our communities." The department additionally filed an emergency request for a court order that would immediately block Abbott's enforcement of the order.
Judge Kathleen Cardone, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said Tuesday the federal government is "likely to prevail" on its claims that the order violates the Supremacy Clause and found that executive order causes "irreparable injury" to the US and to the individuals the US is charged with protecting.
The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until August 13.
http://www.cnn.com/2021/08/03/politics/texas-border-migrant-abbott/index.html
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