Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday that he sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasizing a new Texas law that gives U.S. Border Patrol agents additional authority — under specific circumstances — to enforce state felony charges against migrants for illegal entry if the incident occurs at a port of entry, or Border Patrol checkpoint.
“Texas has been forced to develop new solutions after the federal government abdicated enforcement and even weaponized immigration law to intensify surges of new arrivals at the border. Senate Bill 602 reflects Texans’ desire for a more robust and effective response to the historic levels of unvetted foreign aliens entering our state,”
Paxton wrote.
Border Patrol agents must complete a specialized training program with the Texas Department of Public Safety prior to exercising such arrests,
according to the new law that Gov. Greg Abbott signed during the 88th Legislature.
The new law took effect Sept. 1.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@B