This week, GOP Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to allow states along the U.S.-Mexico border to build their own barriers and prosecute and deport illegal immigrants, according to a report from Fox News.
Hawley’s legislation, called the “State Border Defense Act,” would allow California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to build borders on federal property and remove people who cross illegally from the country.
"Our southern border is overrun," Hawley told Fox News in an interview about the legislation. "Joe Biden’s dangerous open-border policies are making it worse every single day, leaving states like Missouri to deal with the consequences. Since the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws, states must be able to."
Hawley’s legislation comes as several entities filed lawsuits against Texas for installing buoys in the Rio Grande to deter illegal immigrants.
Late last month, Matt covered how a federal appeals court ruled that a buoy border wall installed on the Rio Grande by GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can stay in place for the time being. This came after a Reagan-appointed judge ruled that the buoys had to be removed, which Townhall reported.
Since the border barrier was installed, groups filed lawsuits against it. Abbott argued that Texas had the right to defend its own borders.
"I will do whatever I have to do to defend our state from the invasion of the Mexican drug cartels and others who have tried to come into our country illegally, and I will protect our sovereignty," Abbott said of the buoys.
New marine barrier installation on the Rio Grande begins today.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2023
Texas DPS is overseeing the project in Eagle Pass.
More to come. pic.twitter.com/nHrTqUG7Fi
“The Biden Administration’s extreme open border policies have had a devastating effect on the people of Missouri and the entire country. States have had limited ability to fight back during this period of record-breaking illegal border crossings. My bill would finally give states the ability to enforce federal immigration law and deport illegal immigrants. If Joe Biden won’t secure the border, then it’s time to give states the power to do it,” Hawley said in a press release.
In a recent poll, a majority of Texas voters said they support the border buoys. Julio noted that more Democratic lawmakers, like Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, have called on the Biden administration to do more to address the influx of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
"But as the numbers being transported to Chicago are accelerating, the humanitarian crisis is overwhelming our ability to provide aid to the refugee population. Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government. Most critically, the federal government's lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois," Pritzker wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden.