A federal appeals court has frozen Texas’ controversial anti-immigration law, one of the strictest ever adopted by a US state, hours after the Supreme Court cleared the way for its implementation.

Late Tuesday, a New Orleans-based federal appeals court announced it was freezing the law, also known as SB4, until another appeals court can review its legality.

The court battles cast uncertainty over the future of the controversial measure promoted by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The administration of US President Joe Biden, for its part, complains that the law will prevent the federal government from implementing its immigration laws.

Abbott approved the bill in December, also known as SB4, which allows Texas law enforcement officers to arrest those they believe have entered the US illegally.

In the past, US courts have ruled that only the federal government can enforce the country’s immigration laws, not individual states.

Abbott counters that this law is necessary because the Biden administration has failed to enforce federal legislation that criminalizes illegal entry or re-entry into the US.

Republicans have been fiercely critical of the Democratic president’s administration’s handling of the record number of immigrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border.

Abbott and other Republicans favor the restrictive policies of former President Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee in November’s presidential election.

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre has said the Texas law “will cause chaos and confusion at our southern border.”

The federal Justice Department filed a legal challenge in January against the law, which was due to take effect on March 5. Washington ruled that it violates the US Constitution and federal law as it interferes with the federal government’s authority to regulate immigration matters.

Under Texas law, illegal entry or re-entry into the state is a felony, with penalties for offenders ranging from 180 days in jail to 20 years in prison for repeat offenders. At the same time, it requires Texas judges to request the deportation of illegal immigrants to Mexico.

However, yesterday Tuesday the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs Alicia Barcena stressed that her country “will under no circumstances accept repatriations from the state of Texas”.

A Gallup poll released in February found that nearly a third of Americans believe immigration is the biggest problem facing the US.