Thanks to a 2012 Supreme Court decision, the enforcement of immigration law falls exclusively under federal jurisdiction. However, one Republican senator says that needs to change.
Bill would allow states to enforce immigration rules
According to Fox News, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced a piece of legislation known as the “Empowering States to Deport Illegal Immigrants Act.”
Under the provisions of Hawley’s bill, states would be authorized to arrest and deport illegal aliens as well as secure the border.
Hawley said during an interview last week with Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the move was necessitated by President Joe Biden’s failure to address America’s ongoing migrant crisis.
“If Joe Biden isn’t going to enforce immigration laws why don’t we let the states enforce immigration laws?” Hawley asked. “The State of Texas would love to, the states of Florida, Arizona, they’d love to enforce immigration laws.”
“Let’s let them do it, let’s let them secure the border, let’s let them deport illegal immigrants according to our laws,” he continued, insisting, “Let’s take the gloves off here, let’s enforce the law, let’s restore order to the border.”
Critics dismiss the Vice President’s claim that the U.S. has “a secure border”
Earlier this month, Fox News cited Department of Homeland Security figures showing that over 2 million people have illegally crossed the border in fiscal year 2022.
Yet those numbers didn’t prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from telling NBC host Chuck Todd that America has “a secure border.”
Kamala Harris: “We have a secure border…we also have to put in place a law and a plan for a pathway for citizenship for the millions of people who are here.” pic.twitter.com/JE4ox0ceQD
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 12, 2022
Harris’s words were met with scorn from many observers, including Sheriff Roy Boyd, who presides over Texas’ Goliad County.
“The border is wide open,” Boyd told Fox News two weeks ago. “In Texas, the Border Patrol is encountering over 100,000 illegal aliens in Texas.”
“So every month, Border Patrol agents tell me that on a good day, they encounter between eight and 15% of the number of people that actually come across,” he added.