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Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during an earlier border appearance to tout Operation Lone Star.
Of the two, the more contentious is Senate Bill 4, which would criminalize illegal entry from a foreign nation at the state level. The bill would allow state and local law enforcement to charge migrants with a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a six-month prison sentence or a $2,000 fine.
SB 4 would also allow state judges to deport migrants to their country of origin — a power usually reserved for federal officials.
Critics warn that the law could lead to racial profiling and that it violates the U.S. Constitution, which establishes that immigration enforcement is the federal government's responsibility.
Groups including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) have said they expect to challenge SB 4 in court.
“These individuals are determined to weaponize their legislative power for political gain at the expense of human beings,” LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said in a statement. “Instead of working with Democrats in the Texas Legislature on a genuine solution, so-called Republican Christians are hypocritically turning their backs on the defenseless and aiding drug cartels and human smugglers profiting from the desperation of men, women, and children.”
The other bill expected to be signed into law Monday afternoon is Senate Bill 3, which will award $1.54 billion to Operation Lone Star, Abbott's multi-billion dollar border crackdown.
The money authorized under the bill also will go to completing the border wall started by President Trump. Another $40 million is specifically earmarked for patrolling Colony Ridge, a housing development north of Houston that's become the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories.
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