Mexico City, March 21 (RHC)-- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blasted Texas’s anti-immigrant SB4 law on Wednesday as U.S. courts continue to wrangle over its legality.  The law grants Texas authorities broad powers to arrest and deport anyone they suspect of crossing the border without authorization. 

President López Obrador said: “We are against this draconian law, which is completely contrary to human rights. … If they intend to do deportations, which is not up to them, we won’t accept deportations from the Texas government, and we will not stand idly by.”

The law is currently blocked after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals moved to halt the measure Tuesday, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the law could go into effect.  Immigrant justice advocates warn SB4 would have devastating effects for immigrant communities throughout the state of Texas. 

Fernando García, director of the Border Network for Human Rights, said: “If allowed to proceed, it would have a terrible impact on communities. We are talking about the fact that not only migrants crossing the border would be impacted by this state immigration policy of Governor Abbott, but, in general, Texans, migrants in Houston, in Dallas, in Fort Worth, will be subject to a policy of persecution by local and state police, where they will be asking them for immigration papers, detaining them and also deporting them to Mexico.”