Texas wants to arrest immigrants in the country illegally. Why would that be such a major shift?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration laws are federal laws — not state laws — and enforcement of immigration law is the domain of federal law enforcement. Homeland Security agents and officers are responsible for arresting migrants who are caught crossing the U.S. border illegally, whether from Mexico or Canada. They’re also responsible for arresting and deporting people who are in the country illegally.

That’s why the news in Texas over immigration enforcement is so unusual. Lawmakers there passed a bill that would make illegally crossing the border a state crime, which would theoretically allow state law enforcement to arrest migrants. But that clashes with how, generally, laws work in the U.S. The Texas law was supposed to go into effect this month, but there’s been a big back-and-forth in the courts about that.

Here’s a closer look:

FEDERAL V. STATE LAWS

In general, it works like this: State legislators make laws for their states that are enforced by state police or state patrol or other local law enforcement. The federal government does the same for the nation overall, and federal law enforcement agents like the FBI or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers enforce those laws. Generally, federal laws take precedence over state laws.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Court puts Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants who cross illegally back on hold </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Anticipation and anger on Texas border