Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) on Monday signed into law a controversial bill putting immigration enforcement into the hands of state officers, allowing them to arrest anyone suspected of crossing the United States’ southern border illegally and expel them out of the country.
The measure, known as SB4, is set to take effect in March. It empowers Texas police to stop and detain people they suspect of entering the country illegally, and Texas judges to issue them de facto deportation orders. Suspected illegal migrants who refuse to return to Mexico could face charges ranging from class A misdemeanors to second-degree felonies.
“Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Abbott said at a signing ceremony at the border wall, according to The New York Times.