Texas Republicans back bill allowing vigilante policing of immigrants – By Michael Murney (Chron) / Apr 17 2023
The Texas bill would allow the governor to deputize citizens as immigration officers–and in some cases grant them arrest powers.
Texas Republicans are lining up behind a bill that would set up a system for deputizing citizens as immigration officers.
House Bill 20, authored by Rep. Matt Schaefer of District 6 in east Texas, would create a so-called “Border Protection Unit” within Texas’ immigration security apparatus.
Under HB 20, the Border Protection Unit’s chief would be able to “employ law-abiding citizens without a felony conviction to participate in unit operations and functions,” according to the latest available text version of the bill. HB 20 would also allow certain participating citizens who have been “trained and specifically authorized by the governor” to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants.
CONTINUE > https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/texas-border-immigration-law-17901688.php
