Texas Governor Greg Abbott is poised to enact two significant immigration bills on Monday, December 18th, as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to address border security concerns. The governor’s office has confirmed that Abbott will travel to Brownsville for the occasion, where he will conduct a bill signing ceremony for key border security legislation passed during a Special Session.
The bills in question, Senate Bill 3 (SB3) and Senate Bill 4 (SB4), represent a comprehensive approach to bolstering border security measures. SB3 is slated to allocate over $1.5 billion for initiatives aimed at enhancing security along the Texas-Mexico border. Meanwhile, SB4 takes a decisive step by criminalizing the act of crossing into Texas from Mexico without proper authorization.
The impetus for these legislative actions stems from a surge in encounters between field agents and migrants crossing the southern border illegally, as indicated by the most recent data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. From June to October, nationwide encounters exceeded one million, prompting Texas officials to assert the need for robust measures to address the escalating situation.
Governor Abbott underscored the urgency of the matter, citing the staggering statistic that, under the Biden administration, over 8 million individuals have crossed the border illegally. Addressing this issue has become a top priority for Texas, and the upcoming signing of SB3 and SB4 reflects the state’s commitment to proactively respond to the challenges posed by illegal border crossings.
The signing ceremony in Brownsville marks a crucial moment in Texas’s ongoing efforts to fortify its borders and uphold the rule of law. As the state takes decisive legislative action, the nation watches closely to gauge the impact of these measures on immigration enforcement and border security in Texas.
