Border security was an emergency item on Gov. Greg Abbott’s list of priorities at the beginning of the regular legislative session.
The governor possesses sole discretion to convene the Legislature in a special session.
HB 7 contains measures that were lost in the House, including a border protection force and criminal penalties for illegal border crossings.
The bill would have made it a state crime to cross the border illegally, including a felony charge for illegal aliens who disobey an order to leave.
Republicans passed the bill in conjunction with the expiration of the Title 42 public health order used to expel illegal immigrants.
The Biden administration is touting a decrease in enforcement encounters, which peaked at more than 10,000 daily before the end of Title 42.
Record-breaking numbers of illegal aliens at Texas’ southern border due to the Title 42 expiration have elicited strong reactions from officials on both sides of the aisle.
The order has spanned two administrations and became enmeshed in a legal fight that kept it in place longer than most COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaker Dade Phelan scuttled his own priority border security bill after he sustained a point of order Rep. Rafael Anchia raised against the bill.
The legislation was a priority for Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) as part of the state’s response to elevated levels of illegal immigration.
Convention of States President Mark Mechler backed Rep. Matt Schaefer’s bill to create a statewide border protection unit.
The proposed grant program would be administered by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
