The Texas Senate passed a bill Thursday making illegal border crossings a state crime, according to Texas Public Radio.
The legislation, titled Senate Bill 4, would make it a state crime for unauthorized entry into Texas from a foreign country, a class B misdemeanor on first offense.
The bill would also require a state judge to order the individual to leave the United States immediately.
“Our shared priority has always been securing our southern border and developing a better process to address illegal immigrants that enter the State of Texas,” State Sen. Charles Perry said. “The identical bills filed today chart a new path forward for our state.”
The bill will now head to the state House.
From Newsmax:
State Sen. César Blanco, a Democrat, said the laws could affect Texas residents. "My fear is these new state offenses are going to have a chilling effect on our state, a state that is minority-majority, 41 percent Latino," he said on the Senate floor in opposition to the bill. "How many kids and adults are we going to risk wrongfully being deported or wrongfully being detained? That's what our families, that's what our communities along the border and across Texas, that's what they're worried about."
