SCOTUS Decision Could Have Harmful Consequences, Violates Asylum Law

Statement from Refugees International Director for the Americas and Europe Yael Schacher:

“The majority of the Supreme Court today paved the way for widespread rights violations and upending of federal immigration enforcement in Texas. By allowing S.B. 4 to go into effect, the Court has empowered Texas police officers to detain anyone they suspect of unauthorized entry and magistrate judges to order them deported to Mexico. Individuals who fail to comply – even because Mexico refuses to allow them to – may be charged for another crime and imprisoned. A Federal District Court in Texas already ruled that S.B. 4 would violate asylum law and usurp federal authority over entry into and removal from the United States. 

Refugees International witnessed how Texas’s Operation Lone Star, of which S.B. 4 is a part, started in Kinney County in 2021—with the arrest of Venezuelan asylum seekers—and is appalled at the majority’s approach to a law that could have harmful consequences for communities of color, immigrants from many countries, and people seeking safety in Texas. As Justice Sotomayor writes in the dissent, the decision invites “chaos and crisis” at the border.” 

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Etant Dupain at edupain@refugeesinternational.org.