Last year the US state of Texas introduced a controversial law designed to control the huge number of undocumented migrants crossing its southern border with Mexico. The law known as Senate Bill 4 or SB4, allows local and state police the power to arrest and charge people with a newly created state crime - ‘illegal entry’. Immigration law has historically been handled by the federal government. Crossing the border is a federal crime and addressed by immigration courts that fall under the justice department. Now Texas is embroiled in a legal battle and SB4 has been paused. But it’s just the latest measure that Texas has taken to stop hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the US on its border. Back in 2021 the state’s Governor, Greg Abbott launched a multi-billion dollar border security programme known as Operation Lone Star. Along with his Republican lawmakers, the Governor’s argument is that Texas has a legal right to defend itself and they allege that Democrat President Joe Biden has failed to secure the US southern border in violation of the law. But with a Presidential election this November, it remains to be seen if Texas will have a more sympathetic ally in the White House in the future. So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Can Texas go it alone on border control?’ Contributors: Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Centre for Latin American and Latino Studies and its Immigration Lab, American University, Washington DC, USA Dr James Henson, Director, Texas Politics Project, Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin, USA. Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor, Co-Director Immigration Clinic, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law, USA Julia Gelatt, Associate Director, US Immigration Policy Programme, Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC, USA Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey (Photo credit: Adam Davis via BBC Images
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Welcome to the Inquiry.
I'm Charmaine Kozier.
Each week, one question, four expert witnesses, and an answer April 2024 Texas, USA in the small city of Eagle Pass on the border with Mexico, there's a place called Shelby park with soccer fields and located on the banks of a River.
It's 47 acres of popular public space, or it was.
In January, Texas state authorities took control of the park.
State troopers, local police officers and the Texas National Guard were deployed there.
Officials said they had no choice.
Thousands of people had been crossing Inter Eagle Pass from Mexico for years without prior permission to enter the U.S.
the state also blocked federal or national level U.S.
border Patrol agents from entering the area to do their job processing the migrants.
But that's not all.
The second largest state in America has a controversial new law that's also seriously testing the boundaries of federal authority.
So this week we're asking, can Texas go it alone on border control?
Part 1 Coming to America.
People are crossing the US Mexico border today for a number of reasons.
Ernesto Castanera is director of the center for Latin American and Latino Studies and its Immigration Lab at American University in Washington, D.C.
texas was part of Mexico until it declared independence back in 1836.