(Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Court extended a temporary hold on a Texas law that would let the state arrest and deport people who enter the country illegally, giving the justices more time to decide how to handle a politically volatile issue.

The order by Justice Samuel Alito keeps in place a pause that had been set to expire at 5:00 p.m. Washington time Monday. The new order doesn’t have an end date or time, and it leaves open the possibility the justices could act later Monday.

The Biden administration is seeking to block the measure while a legal fight goes forward, saying the measure would be an unprecedented intrusion on the federal government’s power to set the nation’s immigration policy.

Texas is asserting broad new authority to tackle illegal immigration, making the novel argument that the US Constitution authorizes the state to defend itself against the influx.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.