Texas Gov. Abbott signs bill to let police make immigration arrests
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a measure Monday that gives law enforcement officials the power to arrest immigrants entering the state illegally from Mexico. The bill, known as S.B. 4, also gives Texas courts the power to issue orders to immigrants suspected to have entered the state illegally to return to the country through which they entered.
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“These laws will help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas,” Abbott said in a statement.
Abbott has taken increasingly strict measures to stop illegal immigration into Texas, including placing razor wire at certain locations and installing a chain of orange buoys in the Rio Grande. Both efforts set up legal battles with the Biden administration.
“President Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Abbott said in his statement Monday.
There were more than 2 million illegal crossings at the southwest border with Mexico for each of the past two fiscal years ending Sept. 30, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The law is expected to go into effect in March.