ABC-7 Xtra: SB-4 Ramifications for the Borderland
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Three Texas judges have sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to intervene if Texas' SB-4 bill becomes law. The bill would make illegal entry into Texas a state crime.
One of those judges is El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego.
"We urge the federal government to take any appropriate action to maintain and assert its authority over immigration enforcement and to prevent the inevitable from this legislation," wrote Samaniego in his letter to the president.
SB-4 is headed to governor Greg Abbott's desk for his signature. Abbott is expected to sign the bill into law.
Under the new prospective law, Texas peace officers would have the authority to arrest anyone suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. State judges can also order people returned to Mexico.
El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles believes passage of SB-4 will lead to more arrests and incarceration of people accused of crossing the border illegally. More arrests means more people going through our justice system.
"You can't jump to the conclusion that every single person who enters the United States would be arrested and every single person who enters the United States [to] be prosecuted," said District Attorney Bill Hicks.
This Sunday on ABC-7 Xtra, host Saul Saenz asks guests whether these local leaders believe passage of SB-4 could lead to racial profiling, another concern of opponents of the bill. Watch ABC-7 Xtra Sunday at 10:35 p.m. after ABC-7 at 10 Weekend.
