AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — For two years, Texas has pushed boundaries on the U.S.-Mexico border: Busing migrants across America, jailing thousands for trespass and stringing razor wire along the Rio Grande.
In a new challenge to the federal government's authority over immigration, Texas lawmakers on Tuesday night gave final approval to a bill that would allow police to arrest migrants who enter the country illegally and let local judges order them to leave the country.
But the new law would empower all police in Texas — including officers hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the border — to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the country.
TESTING IMMIGRATION AUTHORITYLegal experts and immigrant rights groups have railed against the Texas bill as a clear conflict with the U.S. government's authority to regulate immigration.
TEXAS' MASSIVE BORDER OPERATIONIn his third term as Texas governor, Abbott has made increasingly aggressive measures on the Texas-Mexico border a centerpiece of his administration.
Persons:
Greg Abbott, Joe Biden, David Spiller, Spiller, Steven McCraw, “, McCraw, Victoria Neave Criado, “ That’s, Anthony Kennedy, State Sen, Brian Birdwell, ” Birdwell, Abbott
Organizations:
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Locations:
AUSTIN, Texas, Mexico, America, Rio Grande, U.S ., Arizona, lockstep, TEXAS, . Texas, Rio