ACLU files new class-action against SB 4 with individual immigrant plaintiffs

The ACLU, ACLU of Texas, and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a new class-action lawsuit against Texas SB4 on May 4, 2026, ten days before key provisions were scheduled to take effect on May 15. The new lawsuit named two Austin residents directly affected by the law as plaintiffs -- a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) and a U-visa recipient who had cooperated with law enforcement -- rather than advocacy organizations, directly addressing the standing defect the en banc Fifth Circuit had used to dismiss the earlier case. The complaint asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking the illegal-reentry criminal provision and the state magistrates deportation-order authority, arguing both conflicted with the INA and Arizona v. United States.