Entering Texas illegally is now a state crime.

houston (Uttam Hindu News): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill into border security legislation, which will make it a crime to enter the US state illegally. It is one of the toughest immigration laws passed in the history of the country to prevent illegal immigration. It includes three new laws that will boost Texas’ unprecedented border security efforts and crackdown on human trafficking, an official statement said. It will stem the flow of illegal border crossings and protect the lives and property of Texans by funding the ongoing construction of the state’s border wall.

SB4 allows local and state police officers to stop and arrest anyone suspected of crossing the border illegally, except at schools and hospitals. It is expected to come into effect in March 2024. The bill signing ceremony took place Monday at the Texas border in Brownsville.

In a statement released by his office, the Republican governor said four years ago, the US had the lowest number of illegal border crossings in decades. This was due to four policies implemented by the Trump administration that caused the number of illegal crossings to drop so low.

“President Biden ended all of those policies and has done nothing to stop illegal immigration. “President Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself.”

“Today, I will sign three pieces of legislation to better protect Texas and America from President Biden’s border neglect. “These laws will help deter illegal entry into Texas, add additional funding to build more border wall, and crack down on human trafficking.”

In June, Governor Abbott signed six border security laws to expand Texas’ unprecedented efforts to protect residents from record levels of illegal immigration, weapons and drugs from Mexico.

According to the U.S. Border Patrol, border officials apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry in November, a 2 percent increase compared to the apprehensions of 188,000 migrants in October.