Anti-immigrant bills in Texas: Here’s what you need to know
In recent weeks, Texas lawmakers have passed several anti-immigrant bills giving more powers to law enforcement and lengthy jail terms. What you should know
The crisis on the southern border of Texas continues to be an issue in the Lone Star State. In just the last few weeks, Texas legislators have approved several bills against the immigrant community.
Below, we’ll share what they are and what each of them is about.
Anti-immigrant bills in Texas
One of the main bills is HB4, which is already available for a vote in the Senate. If it passes, state and local police would have the authority to arrest undocumented immigrants crossing the country’s southern border, take them to a port of entry and demand that they return to Mexico.
The arrested migrants could be charged with a jail felony and could face a sentence of 180 days to five years in prison, depending on their record. If they refuse arrest, the penalty would increase to that of a second-degree felony whose sentence ranges from 2 to 20 years.
In addition to this, through HB6, the state plans to allocate $1.5 billion dollars to Operation Lone Star, whose main objective is to reinforce the border by placing barbed wire and buoys over the Rio Grande. This project has already been approved by the Senate and the state House of Representatives, so we only have to wait for the governor’s signature for it to become effective.
SB4 would also expand the laws on “smuggling of persons” in Texas, as this bill seeks to increase penalties to a mandatory minimum of 10 years for most cases, including “stash house” operations.
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Controversy around the laws
The possible approval of these laws has unleashed a whole wave of criticism in the state, especially from human rights defenders, who claim that this type of legislation does nothing more than “criminalize” families who are in search of a better quality of life.
“State criminal laws that threaten immigrants with prison sentences violate our nation’s fundamental values and laws. We should welcome, not criminalize, families and people fleeing persecution,” says David Donatti, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas according to statements collected by El Diario.