How Texas Republicans Ushered in the New Era of Immigration Policy Making

Immigration attorney Leon Fresco was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle for an article about the increase in immigration-related court cases and the overall implications for U.S. immigration policy. Throughout the past three presidential administrations, courts have taken on more and more cases involving questions about immigration, especially policies promulgated by presidents. Texas, among other states, has brought multiple lawsuits attempting to stop various policies from taking effect, including cases in which the courts blocked President Joe Biden's efforts to put a moratorium on deportations during his first 100 days in office and overturn the "Remain in Mexico" policy. Mr. Fresno commented on how these cases restrict a president's ability to enact policies on immigration.

"For the first 150 years of immigration case law, it's case after case after case after case of courts saying, 'We're not going to get involved in this; this is the prerogative of the executive.' Now we're just not seeing that," he said. "The question is, is this going to be the permanent state of affairs where basically there's nothing a president can do on immigration?"

READ: How Texas Republicans Ushered in the New Era of Immigration Policy Making (Subscription required)