US sues Texas governor to stop new immigration order | Coronavirus pandemic news

The Ministry of Justice aims to block an order that uses public health measures as a framework to combat COVID against undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Texas and its governor Greg Abbott on Friday in an attempt to block an order against undocumented immigrants, which the state claimed was Public health measures Curb the surging Coronavirus disease Infect.

In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, El Paso, the Department of Justice stated that the order interfered with the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

On Wednesday, Abbott signed an order stating that “no one except federal, state or local law enforcement officials may provide land transportation services to a group of immigrants” who were detained by federal immigration officials for undocumented border crossing points.

It also instructed the state’s Department of Public Safety to “stop any vehicles if there is a reasonable suspicion of violations” and authorize the department to “reroute such vehicles back to their place of origin or port of entry.”

Abbott’s order stated that the new policy is necessary because President Joe Biden “refuses to implement the law passed by the US Congress,” which is designed to protect Texans from the effects of COVID-19.

Abbott did not explain how the measure will prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Texas, where the number of cases among residents of the state has surged by more than 200% in the past two weeks. Approximately 44% of Texans have been fully vaccinated.

Fast deportation

At the same time, due to the sharp increase in the number of immigrants at the southern border, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday resumed rapid deportation flights for immigrant families who had recently arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The department said in a statement that these flights will transport immigrant families from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who cannot be immediately deported under public health policies related to the coronavirus and have no legal basis to stay in the country.

The statement said: “We made it clear that those who are not eligible to stay in the United States will be expelled immediately.”

Immigration crossing points usually gradually decrease during the hot summer, but the number of arrests at the southern border rose in June to the highest level since April 2000. According to two border patrol officials, the number of people in July is expected to be similar or even higher. Anonymity conditions.

The arrival of immigrants, especially asylum seekers, at the southern border of the United States has been a hot issue for decades. Attempts have been made to reform American laws and open a way to obtain citizenship for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, but they all ended in failure in Congress.