Texas Authorities Have Arrested Nearly 10,000 Migrants For Trespassing

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state lawmakers have implemented a host of new restrictions and penalties over the past several years in an effort to stem the tide of illegal immigration exacerbated by President Joe Biden’s policies.

Many of those measures have sparked criticism from the left, including his recent push for a new state law making illegal entry a state crime.

The new law is set to go into effect in March, but Texas authorities have used other provisions — most notably anti-trespassing laws already on the books — to arrest and jail undocumented migrants in the past. 

Arrangements between state officials and citizens who own land near the Texas-Mexico border have provided the opportunity for nearly 10,000 arrests over the past three years.

Although this effort has also drawn the ire of some activist groups, Abbott declared that it was a step made necessary due to a border crisis that has consistently worsened since Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

Months after the president took office, Abbott defended the so-called “arrest and jail” operation, explaining: “When people start learning about this, they’re going to stop coming across the Texas border.”

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Ericka Miller said the strategy has led to the apprehension of gang members and other potentially dangerous criminals.

“Had we not been there, all of it likely would have crossed into the country unimpeded,” she said. “The state of Texas is working to send a message to those considering crossing into the country illegally to think again.”

Of course, the number of undocumented migrants crossing into the state has continued to increase, fueling the Abbott administration’s call for additional measures. That has been exemplified by Operation Lone Star, a robust $10 billion program that began with an emergency declaration and has resulted in various steps including deploying state National Guard troops to the border.

The governor is now defending his support of a state law against illegal immigration as groups including the American Civil Liberties Union insist that the ordinance is unconstitutional.

State Rep. David Spiller (R-TX) sponsored the legislation and described it as a pivotal step to blunting the impact of the White House’s refusal to enforce federal immigration laws. 

“SB4 is the Texas solution to a Texas problem,” he said. “It is a humane, logical and efficient approach to a problem created and fostered by the Biden administration’s continued failure and refusal to secure our border.”