Texas to Let Local Police Arrest and Deport Illegal Immigrants

Texas lawmakers have passed a series of border security bills, including one that lets local police arrest illegal immigrants and remove them from the country.

Illegal immigrants walk through razor wire surrounding a makeshift migrant camp after crossing the border from Mexico, in El Paso, Texas, on May 11, 2023. John Moore/Getty Images

Lawmakers in the Texas House passed a bill on Thursday that would allow local police to arrest illegal immigrants and deport them, the latest measure taken by the Lone Star state as it grapples with a border crisis that state leaders say is being ignored by the feds.

The bill, called H.B.4, makes it a criminal offense for anyone who isn’t a U.S. citizen or national to enter the United States anywhere besides a lawful point of entry.