A second anti-immigrant bill is causing rejection in sectors of the United States and even in Mexico. Adding to the experience of July, with SB 1718 law passed in Florida, is now Texas, where Governor Greg Abbot is expected to sign his signature in support of the SB 4 law.

The Texas House of Representatives passed the controversial bills SB 4 and SB 3, against irregular migration, which, Marca points out, “will affect more than 10 million people of Mexican descent living in that US state.”

A controversial point of SB 4 is that “it would allow police to detain undocumented immigrants,” the American press points out.

According to Marca, the new SB 4 law “overrides federal immigration law, in addition to promoting indiscrimination and racial harassment, by giving state officials the unconstitutional ability to deport people without adequate due process, regardless of whether they qualify for asylum or other humanitarian protection.”

Bill SB4, passed on November 15, 2023 by the Texas House of Representatives, “aims to expand the rules and scope of penalties for human trafficking. The initiative would also give more power to law enforcement to continue arresting people who are in the country illegally, which has sparked controversy,” Univisión also notes.

Scope of the SB4 law in Texas

Crossing the border into Texas is considered a crime. Brand points out: The SB4 law “turns an undocumented person crossing the border into a potential criminal.”whereby such act is considered a petty crime, and requires the state judge to order the return of foreigners to Mexican territory before being processed in the United States.

If the immigrant does not obey the order, The charge becomes a felony and he could face up to 20 years in prison.”.

In the words of the AP, quoted in El Comercio, this new Texas law gives powers and authority to “the entire state police force, including agents hundreds of miles from the border, to arrest immigrants suspected of illegally entering the country to come.” The crime would be a misdemeanor and a judge could order the suspect to leave the United States and go to Mexico.”

The Mexican government, El Comercio points out, “issued a statement indicating that the law implies a “criminalization” of the migrant population and “will result in the separation of families, discrimination and racial profiling.”

Mexico stated that it “flatly rejects any measure that allows state or local authorities to detain and return nationals or foreigners to Mexican territory.”

Operation Lone Star: This is how the Texas National Guard infiltrated to spy on migrants planning to cross the border into the United States

“There is a conflict”

The issue of immigration and deportation “is a federal matter and a power struggle has emerged in Texas.”

Lawyer Benny Agosto emphasizes to Univision that a state, in this case Texas, does not have the right to carry out deportations. “We’re going to see a lot of battles in court between the state and the FBI.”

He recalled that a similar law existed in Arizona and was in effect for a time until the Supreme Court ruled that it was neither legal nor constitutional.

Those who reject the law – El Comercio adds – claim that it could lead to racial discrimination or the unjust arrest of American citizens and immigrants legally resident in the country.

“Since when does a state deport people?asks Democratic state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado. “That is not a power that the states have. That is a power that the federal government has.”

For attorney Rafael Peñalver, what is happening in Texas is “a repeat of what happened ten years ago. The Supreme Court already addressed this exact situation when the state of Arizona tried to interfere in immigration policy, and the Supreme Court was very clear: it said, ‘No, the immigration issue is exclusive to the federal government, the states cannot interfere in it . in these issues.

SB 3

Marca explains that this provides an allocation of $1.54 billion for Texas lawmakers to build border barriers and provide funding for law enforcement to patrol the border.

(JO)