Governor Abbott Set to Sign New Texas Law: Illegal Border Crossing to Become a State Crime, Empowering State Officers to Arrest Illegal Immigrants (VIDEO)

Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is poised to sign a groundbreaking law, making illegal border crossing a state criminal offense. This move will grant state peace officers the authority to arrest illegal immigrants.

Governor Abbott revealed these plans during an interview with Maria Bartiromo.

Governor Abbott emphasized the severity of the immigration issue, attributing the high number of illegal crossings to failed policies and open border under Joe Biden’s regime.

“The problem is extraordinarily bad. The numbers are high. And it’s because Joe Biden continues to lay out the welcoming mat for illegal immigrants into the United States of America,” said Abbott.

However, Abbott highlighted that due to the construction of walls and razor wire barriers, Texas is no longer the primary entry point for illegal immigrants. Instead, these individuals are now more frequently using routes through the Tucson and San Diego sectors in other states.

He credited these measures for forcing cartels to alter their routes for illegal entry into the U.S.

Despite these changes, Governor Abbott underscored the need for Texas to take further action.

“Texas is having to step up and do even more to make sure that we deny illegal entry into the state of Texas,” Abbott said.

Under the new law, which Governor Abbott plans to sign in two weeks, it will become a state-level criminal offense to enter Texas illegally from another country. This legislation extends the authority to every peace officer in Texas to arrest individuals who violate this law.

“I’ll be signing a new law in the state of Texas that will make it illegal for people to enter the state of Texas from another country illegally and authorizing every peace officer in the state of Texas to arrest those people entering our country illegally,” said Abbott.

Watch the full interview:

Last month, The Gateway Pundit reported that the Texas House of Representatives has passed immigration bills that mark a drastic shift in the state’s approach to border control.

The House approved measures on Tuesday to not only allocate over $1.5 billion for additional border barriers but also to criminalize the act of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border as a state crime.

Senate Bill 3 would channel $1.54 billion towards the construction of border barriers and fund state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development near Houston.

During the House’s debate, lawmakers adopted an amendment from state Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde, to SB 3. This amendment would allow a portion of the funds to aid local police and governments in enforcing the newly proposed state crime as outlined in Senate Bill 4.

SB 4 takes a more direct approach to immigration by making it a state misdemeanor to illegally cross from Mexico into Texas. It grants Texas peace officers the authority to arrest illegal immigrants and requires a state judge to order the person to leave the U.S. and return to Mexico, circumventing prosecution. After passing on an 83-61 vote, the bill, already approved by the Senate, now awaits the governor’s signature.

Under SB 4, charges could escalate to a felony for migrants accused of additional crimes or non-compliance with a judge’s deportation order. The bill also allows immigrants to present legal status evidence during prosecution. Penalties range from a year in jail for a misdemeanor to two to 20 years for a felony, according to Texas Tribune.

The proposed legislation has not been without its detractors—Democrat Houston state rep. Jolanda Jones voiced strong opposition, claiming the bill to be racially motivated.

“When or if this passes, I’m going to be embarrassed to be a part of a body that legally sanctioned racism against Hispanic people from the border,” Jones said during the debate.