Legislation Making It a Criminal Offense for Illegal Immigrants Crossing Into Texas Moves Forward; Texas Senate Panel Revises, Advances Bill Creating Penalties for Illegal Entry Into US ; Closer Look at the Bill that Would Allow Texas Peace Officers to Return Migrants to the Southern Border

Legislation making it a criminal offense for illegal immigrants crossing into Texas moves forward:

State legislation making it a criminal offense to enter Texas illegally at the southern border is closer to getting to the governor’s desk.

The Senate Border Security Committee advanced it Wednesday.

This latest version did not include a provision that was in the original House bill that would have allowed law enforcement to return illegal immigrants to the border without first going through the judicial process.

There are two big concerns for those opposed to the legislation.

One of those is what happens to county jails that aren’t along the border, like Dallas and Tarrant counties?

The Tarrant County sheriff said they are working on the wording of the proposed law.

And the other big worry for counties is the cost.

There was testimony for and against legislation that would make it a criminal offense to enter Texas illegally along the southern border.

Adam Haynes, with the Council of Urban Counties, said the proposal is an unfunded mandate. He said counties would have to pick up the tab for housing these individuals, but the bill establishes a way for counties to be reimbursed through the governor’s discretionary fund.

“But we have to wait 18 months to get paid back and we’re talking about tens and tens of millions of dollars,” Haynes explained. —>READ MORE HERE

Texas Senate panel revises, advances bill creating penalties for illegal entry into US:

The Texas Senate Committee on Border Security advanced legislation Wednesday meant to curb illegal immigration by creating state criminal penalties for illegally entering the U.S. and allows law enforcement officers to hand over to federal authorities anyone suspected of coming into the country outside of a legal port of entry.

However, the Senate panel has changed House Bill 4, the proposal the lower chamber passed last week, with Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, reworking language that previously allowed state police to turn back through a port of entry anyone accused of being in the country illegally or charge them with a felony charge for noncompliance.

Birdwell, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate and chair of the Border Security Committee, said he expects the full Senate to take up HB 4 on Sunday.

If the Senate passes the bill in its current form, police would be required to handover to federal authorities anyone arrested on the state felony charge after completing the judicial process on that complaint.

“By making this change it ensures that, again, as I mentioned in the opening, that we do not violate the 10th Amendment in taking an action that is an immigration enforcement action that rightfully belongs to the federal government,” Birdwell said.

The new state penalties for illegally entering the country that HB 4 create range from a Class B misdemeanor for a first time offense to a state jail felony for a second offense. For those with multiple previous attempts to illegally cross the border, the charge would rise to a second degree felony, and those previously convicted of a violent felony would face a first degree felony. —>READ MORE HERE

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+++++Closer look at the bill that would allow Texas peace officers to return migrants to the Southern border+++++

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