March 12 (UPI) -- Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito placed the latest hold on a Texas law that would allow the state to arrest and prosecute individuals for allegedly crossing the border illegally.

Federal officials argue that any immigration enforcement role is theirs and does not belong to the states.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Tuesday extended an order blocking Texas from enforcing a new law that gives the state a role in arresting and deporting immigrants. Alito – who handles emergency petitions in cases out of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi – had originally blocked Texas from enforcing the law, known as Senate Bill 4, until Wednesday afternoon to give the Supreme Court time to study and rule on the matter. Alito’s latest order gives the court until Monday to determine if Texas can enforce the law while...

The U.S. Supreme Court on March 12 said it will continue to temporarily block a new state law that allows Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border. The nation’s highest court is overruling a decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that would have allowed police to start enforcing Senate Bill 4 on March 9. That 5th Circuit ruling came just a day after U.S. District Judge David Ezra in Austin blocked SB 4 from going into effect, saying the law “threatens the...