Texas House examines bill authorizing authorities to arrest migrants, one of strongest US immigration regulations

Tuesday is anticipated to see a consideration by the Texas House of Representatives of what, if approved, would rank among the nation's harshest immigration laws.

In order to evaluate multiple legislation pertaining to immigration, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for a special legislative session, which includes consideration of SB 4.

It establishes two new state offenses, each punishable by up to two years in prison, for migrants who enter or re-enter the state unlawfully from another nation.

The bill's provision allowing local and state law enforcement to detain immigrants they believe entered Texas illegally is one of its most contentious features. Additionally, rather than prosecuting certain migrants, it gives judges the authority to order them to return to the nation from which they entered illegally.

To ensure compliance, officers and state agencies would be authorized to take them to ports of entry. Migrants who disobeyed a repatriation order might face up to 20 years in prison and charges of a second-degree crime.

Immigration rights advocates believe that SB 4 will result in widespread racial profiling and circumvent the protections that asylum applicants are entitled to under international law and the constitution. Despite granting authorities the authority to promptly determine an individual's immigration status, the measure does not mandate financing for or training on immigration law.