Border Security: Texas House passes $1.5B for border barrier, security
AUSTIN, Texas - A bill that would provide over a billion dollars to help secure the southern border got the green light from the Texas House on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 3, which pertains to the expansion of a border wall passed the Texas House. It now must go to the Senate for reconciliation.
"[The bill] appropriates $1.5 billion for the maintenance operation and construction of a border barrier infrastructure," said State Rep. Jacey Jetton (R-Katy).
The author of Senate Bill 3 says the hefty price tag would pay for approximately 100 miles of border barrier infrastructure.
It also provides an additional $40 million to fund overtime for Texas DPS troopers working border security operations.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 53. But now must gone back to the Senate to vote on an amended version of the bill.
Several Democrats spoke out against the bill, saying it doesn't provide solutions to the illegal migration problem.
"Should we make sure that our communities feel safe? Of course. Should we misuse tax dollars in a way we know isn't effective? Never," said State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-San Elizario).
"This is a border wall that the feds don't want to build because they say its ineffective," said State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston).
The House also took up Senate Bill 4, which creates a state crime for illegal entry from a foreign nation. It would allow state and local law enforcement officers to arrest people who illegally enter, or re-enter, at the border.
"It's a landmark bill that allows Texans to protect Texas to send illegal immigrants back and to prosecute and incarcerate those unwilling to leave," said State Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro).
Democrats called the bill unconstitutional and raised concerns that it could lead to racial profiling.
TOPSHOT - Migrants walk behind Concertina wire in the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 15, 2023. The buoy installation is part of an operation Texas is pursuing to secure its borders, but activists and some
It also exposed a striking defection from Republicans, as State Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), who carried the proposal in the previous special session, gave a speech criticizing the latest version.
"This extreme legislation is intentionally broad, overarching our state's jurisdiction over immigration," said State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado (D-Mesquite).
Opponents of SB4 maintain that the federal government only has the power to classify and determine the admission and the expulsion of non-citizens.
Texas lawmakers pass controversial bill making illegal border crossing a state crime
The controversial Senate Bill 4 was passed by legislators on Tuesday night. The bill creates a new state crime for illegally entering or re-enteing into Texas from a foreign country.
Senate Bill 4 was passed on Tuesday night and is headed to Governor Abbott's desk for his signature.