Open border activists are calling a new measure signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law, aka the “Show Me Your Papers” bill, was temporally put in place.
However, in line with previous Supreme Court decisions the SCOTUS’ majority ruled that the AZ law was unconstitutional, re-affirming the courts position that the US Constitution assigns sole immigration enforcement and policies to the federal government.
On Monday Gov. Abbott signed the law (SB4 ) in front of a section of border fence in Brownsville.
📍Brownsville
At the Texas-Mexico border today for a bill signing ceremony that will take #OperationLoneStar to the next level.
Join me LIVE as I sign historic border security legislation into law: https://t.co/rmFb1eHMdK pic.twitter.com/6jZ3qPNWPg
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 18, 2023
It gives Texas police power to arrest illegal aliens and gives local judges authority to order them to leave the country.
The states’ conservative officials have been working tirelessly trying to curtail the number of illegals invading the US after Joe Biden’s open border policies went into effect.
A video posted to X last Wednesday showed an endless line of mainly military-age males standing next to the train waiting to catch a ride to the US.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: FOX sources capture tens of thousands of migrants attempting to catch a train in Mexico 3 hours south of Piedras Negras bound for the U.S. border where BP agents are already overwhelmed with unprecedented numbers @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/bnnF6gvgKm
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) December 13, 2023
Abbott predicted the number of people crossing illegally into Texas would drop by “well over 50%, maybe 75%.”
“Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Abbott said, adding the new bill is designed to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.”
“At the Texas-Mexico border today for a bill signing ceremony that will take #OperationLoneStar to the next level,” Abbott said on X.
The new Texas’ law takes effect in March but it is also expected to be challenged in the courts.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed legislation that makes it a criminal offense to enter Texas illegally, setting up a potential clash with President Joe Biden’s administration over immigration policy and border enforcement.
In recent years, local authorities have been arresting migrants on a state misdemeanor of criminal trespassing under Abbott’s border enforcement program known as Operation Lone Star.
The law signed Monday makes it a misdemeanor to enter or attempt to enter Texas from a foreign county at any location other than a lawful port of entry.