With the migrant crisis at the forefront of this election cycle, at least 11 Republican-led states are trying to enact measures to curb immigration by empowering state and local police officers to arrest undocumented migrants, a New York Times article detailed.
The most salient of them all has been passed by Texas. Known as SB4, it was passed a year ago and supported by Gov. Gregg Abbot as part of his Operation Lone Star operation, which has cracked down on immigration by preventing people from reaching the country and taking those who do to Democratic-led cities.
Texas says that the Biden administration has not taken care of the issue, leaving the state no choice but to enforce its own border.
The law hasn't gone into effect yet due to various legal obstacles, and has now returned to a federal Court of Appeals, a fate that is currently shared by the other such initiatives. Six bills have been enacted or are under consideration, while a Louisiana bill is expected to be signed into law as early as next week, as per the outlet.
Regardless of the outcome of these lawsuits, the legislative agenda reinforces former President Donald Trump's main campaign message, which portrays the growing influx of migrants at the Mexico-U.S. border as an "invasion."
President Joe Biden, on his end issued a controversial executive order aimed at stemming the flow of migrants entering the country, stating that once arrivals at the U.S. southern border reach an average of 2,500 per day over a seven-day period, officials will bar migrants from claiming asylum and deport them to Mexico or their home countries.
Valarie Hodges, the Louisiana state senator who wrote the Texas-style legislation, joined other Republicans in saying Mr. Biden's latest move on the southern border was "too little, too late."
The state lawmaker said Louisiana's new immigration bill, expected to be signed by Gov. Jeff Landry, is necessary because the Biden administration has failed to enforce the existing immigration federal laws.
However, Biden is also moving forward with other pro-immigrant initiatives. The White House is reportedly considering a policy that would protect undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation and allow them to work legally in the country.
The move, among others, could counter the backlash while solidifying his position with immigrant advocates and Latino voters, the outlet pointed out in its article.
Known as "Parole in Place," it would be one of the largest immigration relief programs in at least ten years. The plan removes a key hurdle for potential beneficiaries by not requiring those who entered the country illegally to leave it before obtaining a green card.
It could benefit about 1.1 million unlawful immigrants, about 10% of the estimated 11 million living in the country illegally, according to the latest government estimate.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
