Judge Ezra blocks SB 4's reentry crime and state deportation orders one day before they take effect

U.S. District Judge David Ezra granted a preliminary injunction on May 14, 2026, blocking two key provisions of Texas SB4 from taking effect on May 15: the illegal-reentry criminal offense and the authority of state magistrate judges to order immigrants to return to Mexico. Ezra wrote that SB4 conflicts with federal immigration law because it provides state officials the power to enforce federal law without federal supervision and that allowing each state to pass its own immigration laws would moot the uniform regulation of immigration throughout the country and force the federal government to navigate a patchwork of inconsistent regulations. The ruling left intact SB4 provision authorizing police to arrest people suspected of unlawful initial entry -- meaning Texas officers retained arrest power while state courts lost deportation authority.