Staff Reports
According to recent reports, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has received a warning from the Department of Justice asking him to desist from implementing a new law that gives state officials the power to detain people who they believe to be in the country illegally. According to the Houston Chronicle, Abbott received a letter from Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton warning that legal action would be taken to stop the state of Texas from interfering with federal government functions unless Texas guarantees the DOJ that they won't enforce the law by January 3, 2024.
Boynton argued in the letter that the federal government, not the states, had the jurisdiction to enforce immigration rules, citing Supreme Court precedent. Speak with one voice on foreign relations issues, he underlined that choices about the "removal process" and "removability" should be made by the federal government.
Abbott signed the bill earlier this month, and it will go into effect in March. It gives Texas law enforcement the authority to detain those they believe are in the country illegally. Those who are discovered to be in the country illegally may be offered the option of leaving or facing criminal charges.
In an effort to shield Americans and Texans from what he views as President Joe Biden's lax border policy, Abbott proudly unveiled the measure. He claimed that entering Texas illegally is now a crime that carries a possible jail sentence or expulsion. Abbott also emphasized Texas's pledge to pay for the construction of a new wall and toughen punishments for smuggling people.
Abbott's Operation Lone Star, which was launched in 2021 to combat the flood of illegal immigration into and through Texas, includes this statute as one of its components.
According to the storyline put forth, the Biden administration is once more thought to be going too far in trying to meddle in Texas matters. It is urged to back Governor Abbott's efforts to protect his state and enforce the law in the face of opposition from a federal administration that is thought to value immigration policy more than national security.
