AUSTIN, Texas — Immigration advocates gathered at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday to protest two border-related bills. They’re particularly concerned with one that would allow local law enforcement to arrest, detain and deter individuals from crossing the border illegally. House Bill 20 would also allow citizens to apply to join the so-called “Border Protection Unit.” That’s something Alexis Elicerio, who came to Austin from the border city of San Juan, doesn’t want.
What You Need To Know
- House Bill 20 would allow citizens to apply to join the so-called “Border Protection Unit”
- On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a new border unit called the Texas Tactical Border Force to go to “hotspots” along the Texas-Mexico border
- Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, said the purpose of HB 20 is to stop people from crossing the border between points of entry and to prevent the deadly drug fentanyl from coming into the state
- Texans who showed up to protest against the bill on Tuesday said they’d rather see tax dollars go toward humanitarian aid
“We all just want to work. We all want to do what we can to be part of our communities,” said Elicerio, who’s also the civic engagement organizer at LUPE, a social change organization. “And with police watching us every day of our lives, even another policing force, it would just bring much more havoc and fear to the community.”
The state-run Border Protection Unit could also charge migrants with a third-degree felony for walking onto private property. Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, D-Dallas, said this bill could be devastating across Texas, not just along the border, if people are profiled based on their skin color.
“Whether we have been here for generations or whether you're new to our country, this is something that impacts all of us as Texans,” Rep. Neave Criado said.
Gov. Greg Abbott has spent billions of dollars on his border initiative, Operation Lone Star (OLS). On Monday, he announced a new border unit called the Texas Tactical Border Force to go to “hotspots” along the Texas-Mexico border. Still, migrants continue to cross it. One Texan who’s in favor of the legislation said he thinks the bill could be more effective than OLS. The governor would still have oversight, but he’d appoint a new leader to run the unit.
“This would help the state directly combat crossings between ports of entry,” said Chris Russo, president of Texans for Strong Borders. “And that would, unlike Operation Lone Star, actually begin to change the amount of people crossing into the United States illegally.”
Gov. Abbott and other Texas leaders have cited a lack of help from the Biden administration as a reason for the state to step in.
“The U.S. Constitution says that the federal government shall secure states against invasions and guarantee them a Republican form of government. In the face of what's going on now, where the federal government basically is not making any good faith effort to enforce federal immigration law or secure the borders in any meaningful way, the state has a responsibility to its citizens to maintain its sovereignty and the security of its territory,” Russo said.
He added that spending even more Texas tax dollars along the border is needed in the absence of federal help. But, he says the federal government should eventually pay the state back.
“My argument is that if you can divert those funds to a more effective form of enforcement, like would be allowed under HB 20, then that's actually a win for the taxpayer,” Russo said.
Instead of more policing, Rep. Neave Criado said border communities actually need infrastructure to assist asylum seekers.
“We also want to make sure that local law enforcement in the areas are supported,” she said. “But the way that we do that is through listening to the needs of our state representatives across the border who are living it every single day, rather than having this new force of vigilantes who… just don't understand the process.”
On Tuesday night, Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, finally laid out his bill. He said the purpose of HB 20 is to stop people from crossing the border between points of entry and to prevent the deadly drug fentanyl from coming into the state.
"The serious nature of the fentanyl crisis cannot be overstated," Rep. Schaefer said.
Data shows most fentanyl actually comes through points of entry by U.S. citizens. Several Democrats, including Rep. Neave Criado, spoke up against the bill on the floor.
And the Texans who showed up to protest against the bill on Tuesday said they’d rather see tax dollars go toward humanitarian aid.
“Invest into the community and not just police the community,” Elicerio said.