Texas Scorecard by Sydnie Henry May 30, 2023
“Include repelling the invasion at our border, mandating E-Verify for employers, finishing the Texas border wall, and ending taxpayer handouts to illegal aliens,” urged Chris Russo.Following lawmakers’ failure to pass meaningful border security legislation, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has included border security in his call for a special session of the state Legislature.
Abbott specifically asked for “legislation solely for the purpose of increasing or enhancing the penalties for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house.”
Either House Bill 800 by State Rep. Ryan Guillen (R–Rio Grande City) or Senate Bill 600 by State Sen. Brian Birdwell (R–Granbury) would have fulfilled these requirements, if either had passed during the regular legislative session. HB 800 passed both the House and the Senate but was killed by a parliamentary procedure in the House. SB 600 passed the Senate but never received a hearing in the House.
However, according to Texans for Strong Borders President Chris Russo, “enhancing penalties for human smuggling alone will not solve the crisis facing our state and nation, particularly in the aftermath of Title 42 and the Biden administration’s abuse of humanitarian parole and the CBP One app.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/advocates-ask-gov-abbott-to-widen-his-special-session-call-for-border-security/
