Texas: New Law Criminalizes Illegal Immigration at State Level
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a bill permitting state police to arrest migrants who enter the US illegally. The law then allows judges to order the migrants to return back to Mexico....
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Facts
- Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a bill permitting state police to arrest migrants who enter the US illegally. The law then allows judges to order the migrants to return back to Mexico.1
- Abbott signed the bill in a ceremony at the border town of Brownsville while declaring it would cut illegal entry into the US by 50-75% and make up for Democratic Pres. Joe Biden's 'deliberate inaction' at the southern border.2
- Matters of immigration are typically handled by the federal government. But in recent years Abbott's border enforcement program has allowed local authorities to arrest migrants on charges of misdemeanor criminal trespassing.3
- The new law, which is scheduled to take effect in March, makes it a misdemeanor to enter or attempt to enter Texas from a foreign country anywhere but through a lawful port of entry.3
- After being arrested, migrants can agree to leave under a Texas judge's order or allow for prosecution to take place. Migrants who don't leave and are arrested again would face felony charges.4
- Previously, Abbott attempted to handle the influx of migrants to his state by bussing more than 65K migrants to cities nationwide and installing razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande River.5
Sources: 1Forbes, 2Al Jazeera, 3NBC, 4Daily Mail and 5FOX News.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Daily wire. Millions of illegal immigrants are pouring into the US across the southern border while the Biden administration just sits on its hands. The administration's 'catch-and-release' policy is an epic failure and it has left Abbott with no choice but to push the limits of state power to secure his state, the US southern border, and the country as a whole.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. Abbott’s far-right bill runs counter to the US Constitution and shows disdain for immigrant communities. Already the US Supreme Court a decade ago struck down a similar law in Arizona. Abbott's solution codifies racial profiling by local police, and this xenophobic policy must be stopped before it takes effect.
