The Texas Senate has approved a bill that would create a new crime for foreign nationals who enter the state illegally and would authorize law enforcement to arrest any offender anywhere in the state.
The bill, SB 2424, cleared the state Senate last week on an 18–12 party-line vote. It would create a new state-level criminal offense called “improper entry from a foreign nation,” which carries a penalty of up to one year in jail for first-time offenders, two years in state jail for second-time offenders, and up to life in prison for convicted felons who illegally cross the border.
