Summary: As Herman's Hermits use to sing, "Second verse, same as the first." The 4th Special Session of the TX 88th Legislature began just hours after the 3rd Special Session ended; both sessions are focused on SCHOOL CHOICE, with other issues added, like BORDER SECURITY. / WPC will update and repost this blog as new information develops.
Latest Update: 01 December, 2023
Select #Tags for additional articles: #StateLegislation
Border, Special Session 4 , 88th TX Legislative Session
Border, (Border Security, illegal immigration,)
Note: Border Security is more than a Texas issue, it affects the entire United States. It includes child endangerment, sex trafficking, drug trafficking. WPC will post articles about the larger issue, as they have effect on Texas and Willow Park Citizens.
• Texas Legislature sends $1.54 billion bill for border barriers to Gov. Abbott, The Texas Tribune , 02 December 2023
Senate Bill 3 would also appropriate $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston, and allow the state to send money to local jurisdictions to offset the cost of enforcing another immigration-related bill.
• Texas is on the verge of making illegal border crossings a state crime. Here’s what you need to know., The Texas Tribune, 01 December 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott says he will sign Senate Bill 4, which would make it a state crime to cross the border between ports of entry, allow police to arrest people who do and require judges to order them to return to Mexico.
• Texas, Arizona officials explain Border Patrol procedure, refute media narrative, The Center Square, 28 November 2023,
In the wake of Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents being slammed with a surge of illegal border crossers, some in the media appear to be incorrectly reporting standard procedure, which experts on the ground and critics argue is unfounded.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents have not only been dealing with surges for three years but also did in previous administrations. Pulling agents from other stations or from the field is not new. It’s a practice that happens nationwide, especially in Texas, which has historically reported the largest surges in U.S. history, current and retired Border Patrol agents have explained to The Center Square.
Feds shut down bridge entrance from Mexico, The Center Square, 28 November 2023
• Sponsors in these 22 Texas counties received nearly 15,000 unaccompanied minor migrants, The Center Square 21 November 2023
In the past fiscal year, Texas received 16,394 unaccompanied migrant children (UACs), many of whom were brought into the country illegally, according to data published by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, tasked with oversight of and caring for the children.
From fiscal years 2015 to 2023, the greatest total number of UACs were “resettled” to Texas, followed by California and Florida, according to the data. Every year, the most populous states received the greatest number of children.
• Hundreds of Illegal Aliens Flood Eagle Pass, Texas Scorecard, 17 November 2023. Republican Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham commented on the video, saying Texans deserve safety, not an open border crisis.
• Here’s a List of the House Members Who Called the Question on the Border Bill, The Texan. 17 November 2023. This week — here’s a list of the 25 House Republicans who joined a motion to “call the question” on a hotly debated border security bill.
• Sens. Cruz, Cornyn Send Letter Demanding DHS Immediately Address The Influx Of ‘Special Interest Aliens,’ Ted Cruz website, 17 November 2023
• Texas House passes historic border security bills, The Center Square, 16 November 2023
• Illegal Immigration Costs American Taxpayers Nearly Half a Trillion, Texas Scorecard, 15 November 2023. A new report reveals that taxpayers are losing around $451 billion per year to the border crisis.
• Mexico “rejects” Texas’ proposal to allow state police to deport undocumented immigrants, The Texas Tribune, 15 November 2023. Mexico said Texas’ Senate Bill 4 will violate the human rights of Mexican immigrants living in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to sign the proposal into law.
• Group calls on Texas to prioritize oversight of facilities housing migrant minors, The Center Square, 14 November 2023
• New Mexico leaders slam Texas governor’s barriers along New Mexico border, The Center Square, 14 November 2023
• More unaccompanied migrant children being 'resettled' in Texas than elsewhere, The Center Square, 14 November 2023
California, Florida receive the next most
• Over 1.9 million people illegally entered Texas in fiscal 2023, The Center Square. 13 November 2023. Texas accounted for nearly half of all illegal border crossers nationwide, greatest number in history
• 26 attorneys general: Give states the authority to enforce federal immigration law, The Center Square 13 November 2023
• Senate Again Passes Bill Criminalizing Illegal Immigration, Allowing Judges to Order Return to Ports of Entry, The Texan, 10 November 2023
Sen. Brian Birdwell, who previously carried a bill to criminalize illegal immigration, strongly objected to the latest iteration.
• Compromise Measure to Remove Illegal Aliens Moves Quickly, Texas Scorecard, 09 November 2023. The measure would create a criminal penalty for illegal entry or illegal presence in the state and authorize removal of illegal aliens.
• Texas Legislature tries again with bills making illegal border crossings a state crime, The Texas Tribune, 08 November 2023. Immigration experts say the most recent proposals would raise constitutional challenges in the U.S. and Mexico, as federal courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration law enforcement falls under federal jurisdiction.
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