A federal appeals court has frozen Texas' controversial immigration law, one of the strictest laws passed by an American state today, the BBC reports.
The decision came just hours after the United States Supreme Court approved SB4 to take effect.
SB4, which the administration of President Joe Biden called unconstitutional, would have allowed local and state police to arrest and prosecute those suspected of illegally crossing the Mexican border.
Mexico has said it is refusing to accept migrants deported by Texas under the new law.
The decision by a three-judge panel at the New Orleans Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to freeze the law is the latest in a series of rulings on the fate of SB4.
If the law were to go back into effect, it would mark a significant change in immigration management, as courts have until recently ruled that only the federal government can enforce immigration laws, not individual states.
Crossing the US border illegally is already a federal crime, but immigration courts have generally treated these violations as civil cases rather than criminal ones.
SB4 gives local and state police officers the authority to stop and arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally, except at schools, health care facilities, or places of worship.
Misdemeanor or criminal proceedings and possible prison sentences or fines of up to 2.000 US dollars (about 1.840 euros) are foreseen.
Under SB4, the penalties for those who illegally enter Texas after being deported could be up to 20 years in prison, depending on the person's immigration and criminal history.
SB4 was signed into law in December and was originally supposed to go into effect on March 5.
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