"The Senate will pass these bills over and over again in every special session until the Texas House returns from their vacation.”
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – "The Texas Senate appropriated $5.1 billion of Texans’ tax dollars to secure the border – the most in Texas history – to step into the breach created by Biden, Harris and Mayorkas. Texans are fed up with the Biden White House’s abdication of their constitutional responsibility to enforce our Southern Border." said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick earlier today, following the Texas Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 2 that authorizes State Authority to Enforce the Border, Senate Bill 8 that establishes a Texas Border Force, both by Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury,) and House Bill 2 that increases Penalties Against Stash Houses & Human Smuggling by Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton.)
“The Texas Senate is in Austin working diligently to address the priorities of Texans, including these critical bills. The creation of the Texas Border Force will further bolster our historic efforts to keep Texas safe," said Patrick."The Senate will pass these bills over and over again in every special session until the Texas House returns from their vacation.”
SB 2, by Sen. Brian Birdwell, creates a new state crime for entering Texas illegally. SB 2:
- Authorizes Texas Law Enforcement to arrest and prosecute all people who cross the border illegally anywhere in Texas.
- Punishment starts with up to 1 year in jail for a 1st-time offender, two years in state jail for a 2nd-time offender, and
- Up to life in prison for convicted felons who illegally cross the border.
HB 2, by Sen. Pete Flores, provides mandatory minimum sentences for the operation of stash houses and for human smuggling, and increases penalties for these crimes committed during a disaster declaration.
