AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to sign into law border security legislation on Thursday, a day after the measures were approved by the Texas Senate.
The governor will sign the legislation at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Texas Capitol.
The border security measures that were approved by the Texas Senate include the following, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick:
Senate Bill 2 — Creates a new state crime for entering Texas illegally and allows law enforcement to arrest all people who cross the border illegally, anywhere in the state.
Senate Bill 8 — Creates the Texas Border Force in the Texas Rangers division of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.
House Bill 2 — Provides mandatory minimum sentences for the operation of stash houses and human smuggling. The measure also increases penalties for these crimes committed during a disaster declaration.
Abbott will be joined at the press conference by bill authors and sponsors, Texas Dept. of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, and other legislators and law enforcement members.
You can watch a livestream of the press conference in the video player above.
We’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.