Mexico to Support Migrants Targeted by Texas SB-4 Law

On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Barcena said that her country will provide support for undocumented Mexican migrants targeted by a new law in Texas that threatens them with imprisonment if they refuse to be deported.

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"We are going to protect, first of all, our compatriots and we have 11 consulates in Texas that have precise instructions to provide protection, support and guidance in case they face any problem," she said.

The SB-4 law would make it a crime for people to enter Texas from Mexico without authorization, punishable by a six-month jail sentence. A U.S. appeals court blocked the validity of the law on Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court authorized its implementation.

It is still awaiting final approval from the courts, set for April 3. However, its severity has resulted in uniting decision-makers across Mexico's political spectrum, said Barcena.

"Something that is unprecedented in our country is that a political consensus has been achieved. All political forces -- legislators, political parties, candidates, the cabinet -- we are all acting together against this unjust and discriminatory law," she said.

The Texas initiative is "deeply unconstitutional" because immigration matters are a federal issue, as they are in Mexico, the minister added.

Migrant arrivals at the southern U.S. border have risen to record highs. In the fiscal year ending September 2023, there were more than 2.4 million apprehensions across the U.S.-Mexico border, breaking the record of 2.3 million a year earlier.