Southwest
Biden lawsuit over Texas immigration law latest attempt to stifle states' moves to stop illegal immigration
A new lawsuit by the Biden administration filed this week targeting Texas’ new anti-illegal immigration law marks the latest legal move in a long line of challenges by the administration against state-led efforts to stop illegal immigration.
The Department of Justice on Wednesday filed a lawsuit over a law recently signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, which allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. The DOJ said it challenged the federal government’s authority.
“The United States brings this action to preserve its exclusive authority under federal law to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens,” the lawsuit states. “Texas cannot run its own immigration system. Its efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations.”
BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER
A migrant from Columbia stands at a floating buoy barrier as he looks to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S., Aug. 21, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay/File)
Abbott responded by taking aim at the Biden administration, which he said would “rather sue Texas for our efforts to secure the border than enforce federal laws that would eliminate this crisis.”
“Texas will not back down,” he said.
The latest legal move comes just days after the DOJ requested the Supreme Court to intervene in a legal dispute with Texas over the construction of razor wire at the border. Texas had initiated the lawsuit after federal officials had cut and destroyed the wire it had set up to stop illegal crossings.
The state accused the government of illegally destroying property owned by the state and harming border efforts, but the government has said that the wire inhibits Border Patrol’s ability to patrol the border and that agents must apprehend illegal immigrants and take them into custody.
JUSTICE DEPT SUES TEXAS OVER LAW TO LET POLICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
After an appeals court blocked the administration from destroying the wire, the DOJ filed the application with the Supreme Court to take up the case.
Separately, another legal dispute was being fought last month over Texas’ construction of a floating barrier on the Rio Grande to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the river.
The DOJ said the barrier poses a safety risk, violates federal law and interferes with the government’s ability to “carry out its official duties.” Specifically, it said the barrier violates the Rivers and Harbors Act, which protects navigable waters from obstructions and outlines authorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Fifth Court of Appeals ruled this time in favor of the administration and ordered Texas to take down 1,000 feet of the barrier. It remains to be seen if the case will progress any further.
Arizona began removing the shipping containers used to plug gaps in the border wall. (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)
The anti-barrier battle fought between Texas and the administration on multiple fronts also echoes a similar fight with Arizona a year earlier, when the administration sued Arizona over its construction of a makeshift border barrier by then-Gov. Doug Ducey using shipping containers and razor wire to prevent illegal immigrants coming into the U.S.
That lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, says that the installation of multi-ton shipping containers, welded shut and topped with razor wire, “damage[s] federal lands, threaten[s] public safety, and impede[s] the ability of federal agencies and officials, including law enforcement personnel, to perform their official duties.”
Ultimately, Arizona backed down and removed the containers.
The lawsuits against Texas are likely to remain a hot issue in 2024. There were more than 302,000 migrant encounters in December alone, which has increased political pressure on the administration. It has said it is pursuing a policy of expanding lawful pathways for migration and increasing consequences for illegal entry but that it also needs funding and immigration reform from Congress. Negotiations have been ongoing for billions in border funding, with Republicans demanding greater limits on releases of migrants into the interior.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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