Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new bill that makes it illegal for immigrants to enter the state without legal authorization, allowing officials to make arrests.
The development sets up a legal showdown between the state and the federal government over President Joe Biden's border policies. The measure, which is known as SB 4, grants local law enforcement in Texas the power to arrest migrants and judges the ability to issue orders to remove them and send them to Mexico.
Texas' New Border Bill
The new bill has prompted concerns throughout the Latino community in the state, which makes up 40% of Texas' population. Civil rights organizations and immigration advocacy groups condemned Abbott's new bill after the Texas legislature passed it last month.
The new law is expected to take effect starting in March and comes as the ongoing surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border has placed massive pressure on local and federal resources. Abbott and the Biden administration have frequently butted heads over some of Texas' measures to curb illegal immigration along the southern border, as per CNN.
On Sunday, the US Customs and Border Protection announced that it would temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, starting Monday. The decision was made due to a surge in border crossings by migrants.
Border authorities have reported apprehending roughly 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, which marked a 2% increase compared with the 188,000 recorded in October.
Additionally, Democratic House members have argued that Texas' new bill oversteps the federal government's powers and echoes Arizona's immigration status provision. Opponents have called this the "show me your papers" law. It was mostly rejected by the US Supreme Court in 2012 when it upheld that the federal government sets immigration policy and laws.
Arresting Immigrants
Some border sheriffs have also opposed the state's new bill, expressing concern that it could rapidly overwhelm the local jails and courts if even a fraction of those who come over the border every day are arrested and imprisoned, according to the New York Times.
Federal agents said that in just one section of the 1,254-mile Texas border with Mexico, around the cities of Eagle Pass and Del Rio, they have already encountered 38,000 migrants in October. The situation is seen as a political liability for Biden, who has faced criticism from Republicans and some of his Democratic allies for the record number of arrivals at the southern border.
During the signing ceremony of the new bill, Abbott said that the goal of SB 4 is to stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas. The bill's effective date is still up in the air and could change depending on the outcome of various lawsuits that are expected to be filed against it.
Before Texas signed the bill, it received criticism from Democratic lawmakers, the Mexican government, and various advocacy groups. This includes the American Civil Liberties, who have expressed their plans to challenge SB 4 and its legality, said CBS News.
