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A Peruvian immigrant family walks on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande on May 12, 2023, after crossing the river shortly after Title 42 and being turned away by the National Guard in El Paso.
credit:
Yvan Pierre Aguirre, Texas Tribune
What happened in 2023: Governor Greg Abbott urged lawmakers to approve several immigration enforcement proposals. In one regular session and four special sessions, Republicans will strengthen penalties for human smuggling, provide $1.54 billion to continue construction of border barriers, and provide $1.54 billion to continue construction of border barriers to illegally cross the Rio Grande from Mexico. passed a bill that would make it a national crime.
Under the new law, police who suspect someone of crossing the border illegally can arrest them and charge them with a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison. Repeat offenders could be charged with a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. The law allows judges to drop charges if the migrants agree to return to Mexico.
The law has already sparked legal challenges.
The bill also authorizes $40 million to be paid to state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development near Houston that far-right publications say attracts illegal immigrants. But federal authorities have accused developers of targeting Latino homebuyers with predatory loans and false promises.
The new law also allows governors to use some of the new border funding to give grants to local governments, which could increase costs when implementing new state immigration laws. .
What could happen in 2024: Some state Republican leaders say they welcome a legal battle with President Joe Biden's administration that could overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark case Arizona v. United States.
In 2012, a majority of the justices ruled that local police do not have the authority to arrest people based solely on immigration status, because that responsibility lies with the federal government. The case stems from a 2010 Arizona law, known as Senate Bill 1070, that makes it a state crime for legal immigrants to not carry immigration documents and requires police officers to investigate the immigration status of anyone who comes into contact with them. Ta.
The legal battle over Texas' new law is likely to continue throughout the year.
— Uriel J. Garcia
