Texas authorities have arrested nearly 10,000 people who crossed the border illegally in just two years, but the threat of legal action has not deterred asylum seekers who continue to enter the United States in record numbers.
“They’re still coming through here,” Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said of the steady stream of newcomers 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 hoped would reduce the number of newcomers. Part of the mission allowed state authorities to arrest migrants who had just crossed the border for misdemeanors of trespassing.
But while nearly 10,000 immigrants have been arrested and charged with trespassing in two years, the number of asylum seekers has only increased over the past two years.
Almost a quarter of a million people arrived in November this year, marking the biggest month of November and the third highest monthly total on record, with December numbers also set to break records.
A migrant raised his hands to surrender 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’s attracting more people,” attorney Kristin Etter explained of how asylum seekers view the threat of trespassing charges.
Because the misdemeanor is not deportable under U.S. law, most of his organization’s more than 3,000 clients facing trespassing violations have been granted asylum, Etter said.
Abbott is raising the stakes of his immigration policy with a new law set to take effect in March 2024 that will allow state authorities to arrest those who enter Texas illegally and give local judges the ability to remove them from the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents load processed migrants into a transport van in Arizona. REUTERS
The new law was written by state Rep. David Spiller, who said he believes border crossings would be even higher without trespassing arrests.
“We are doing what we can, but we are only slowing down that process. We have not detained anyone,” he said of the current policy.
Under Operation Lone Star, most arrests are being made in Maverick County, although Abbott has also suggested that Texas could begin phasing out trespassing charges in favor of trespassing arrests that can be made in any part of the state.
Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, walk along the riverbank while being escorted by the United States Border Patrol. Go Nakamura for the NY Post
Patrol cars are parked every few miles on the main roads leading to Eagle Pass, and Texas authorities are supported by Florida police along the Rio Grande.
The Texas border operation has resulted in more than 37,000 criminal arrests, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
Agents have stopped gang members, sex offenders, traffickers and others from entering the country, spokeswoman Ericka Miller said.
A Border Patrol officer directs migrants toward transport vans. REUTERS
“If we hadn’t been there, everything probably would have entered the country without obstacles. “The state of Texas is working to send a message to those considering crossing into the country illegally to think twice,” Miller insisted.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas doubted Abbott’s policy over the summer but said he supported the measure because it brings more law enforcement to his city.
“Our force is not big enough to keep the peace in Eagle Pass if we have 10 to 15,000 people arriving,” Salinas said.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn