Texas authorities have detained nearly 10,000 people crossing the border illegally in just two years – but the threat of legal action hasn’t stopped asylum seekers still entering the US in record numbers.
“They’re still coming through here,” Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said of the steady stream of new immigrants crossing the Rio Grande only to be detained in towns like Eagle Pass.
In 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, which he hopes will reduce the number of new arrivals. Part of that mission allowed state authorities to arrest immigrants who had just crossed the border on trespassing charges.
But while nearly 10,000 migrants have been arrested and charged with trespassing in the past two years, the number of asylum seekers has only continued to rise over the past two years.
Almost a quarter of a million people arrived in November this year — marking the highest and third-highest November number on record — and December’s numbers will also break records.
A migrant puts his hands in the air to surrender himself to the US Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande this week. Go Nakamura for the NY Post
“If anything, instead of being a deterrent, it attracts more people,” attorney Kristin Etter explained how asylum seekers see the threat of trespassing charges.
Because the misdemeanor charges are not deportable under US law, the majority of his organization’s more than 3,000 clients who faced invasion have been granted asylum, Etter said.
Abbott is upping the ante on his immigration policy with a new law taking effect in March 2024, which will allow state authorities to arrest those who enter Texas illegally and will give local judges the ability to kick them out of the country.
US Customs and Border Protection agents load processed immigrants into transport vans in Arizona. Reuters
The new law was written by Rep. state’s David Spiller, who said he thinks border crossings would be higher without trespassing arrests.
“We are doing what we can, but we are just slowing down the process. We are not stopping anyone,” he said of the current policy.
Under Operation Lone Star, the majority of arrests are taking place in Maverick County — although Abbott has also suggested that Texas might begin phasing out trespassing charges in favor of illegal entry arrests that can be made anywhere in the state.
Immigrants, mostly from Venezuela, walk on the banks of the river as they are escorted by the US Border Patrol. Go Nakamura for the NY Post
Patrol cars were stationed every few miles on the main road leading to Eagle Pass, and the Texas authorities were supported by soldiers from Florida along the Rio Grande.
Texas border operations have resulted in more than 37,000 criminal arrests, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Officials have prevented gang members, sex offenders, traffickers and others from entering the country, spokeswoman Ericka Miller claimed.
A Border Patrol officer ordered the migrants to transport the van. Reuters
“If we weren’t there, everything would probably cross the country without a hitch. The state of Texas is trying to send a message to those who are considering crossing into the country illegally to think again,” Miller stressed.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas lambasted Abbott’s policy over the summer, but said he supports the move because it brings more law enforcement to his city.
“Our forces are not big enough to keep Eagle Pass safe if we have 10 to 15,000 people coming,” Salinas said.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
