DOJ Sues Texas Over New Immigration Law

U.S. Border Patrol agents take asylum seekers into custody as seen from a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Photo: John Moore / Getty Images News / Getty Images

The Justice Department is suing Texas over a new law that allows the prosecution and deportation of people entering the U.S. from Mexico illegally. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to rule the law violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and to stop the state from enforcing it. Governor Greg Abbott signed the law last month in response to a rising number of illegals at the southern border. Set to take effect in March, it would enable any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest people suspected of entering the U.S. illegally.