On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, approved a legislation that criminalizes the act of entering Texas illegally. This marks a significant development in the ongoing legal dispute between the state and the federal government regarding measures aimed at reducing unauthorized immigration.
The newly enacted law, SB 4, empowers local law enforcement to arrest migrants, and it grants judges the authority to issue orders for their removal to Mexico. The passage of this law has sparked widespread concern and fear within the Latino community of Texas, constituting 40% of the state’s population. Civil rights organizations and immigration advocacy groups have strongly criticized the legislation since its approval by the Texas legislature last month.
The ongoing surge of migration at the US-Mexico border has placed immense pressure on local and federal resources. Abbott and the Biden administration have sparred over some of the state’s measures to curb illegal immigration along the southern border. Texas Governor Greg
On Sunday, US Customs and Border Protection announced it would temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, starting Monday, due to a surge in border crossings by migrants. Border authorities apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, a 2% increase compared with the 188,000 migrant apprehensions in October, US Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told CNN.