Texas Is Already Policing The Mexican Border − And Will Play An Outsize Role In Any Trump Plan To Crack Down On Immigration
Texas Tactical Border Force guardsmen arrive at the Million Air El Paso, Texas, airport on March 26, 2024, to provide extra security along El Paso’s southern border. Brandon Bell/Getty Images BY DAN DEBREE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Over the past half-decade, the state of Texas has been pushing an evolution in the administration and enforcement of immigration law. Stepping into a traditional federal role, state lawmakers in 2023 passed Senate Bill 4 , allowing Texas police to arrest those illegally crossing the border from Mexico. But that law, which survived court challenges, is not the only place where the state has taken on traditional federal responsibilities. The Conversation’s senior politics editor, Naomi Schalit, spoke with Texas A&M professor Dan DeBree , a former Homeland Security official and Air Force veteran, about the other moves Texas has made that likely put it in a position to be a key player in carrying out immigration enforcemen...
