A new bill in Texas would allow civilians to arrest or detain immigrants

() A Texas House bill would give civilians the authority to arrest or detain undocumented immigrants, raising concerns among civil rights groups.

As written, House Bill 7 (HB7) would create a “Border Protection Unit” (BPU) to “repel” those attempting to enter Texas illegally.

The bill, supported by Republican Ryan Guillen, a Texas state representative, says the border protection unit would “address the effects of ongoing disasters, including disasters caused by transnational and other criminal activities and threats to the public health”.

On Thursday, the Texas Senate Border Security committee is scheduled for a hearing on the legislation and may vote on the bill.

“What the border needs is not more police surveillance. It is a humanitarian emergency. More NGOs need to be added to both sides of the border, not more police,” Alexis Bay, legislative coordinator for Beyond Borders, which is part of the group, told . Texas Civil Rights Project.

Bay is expected to go to Austin on Thursday to testify against the proposed legislation.

“The BPU is tasked with ‘repelling’ migrants. There is concern about what that means,” Bay told . “If someone is in the middle of the river, will they be pushed back? Or will these BPUs push them back into Mexico, where they could be exploited by the cartels?”

Bill HB7 says that “an agent of the unit may, to the extent consistent with the Constitution of the United States and Texas law, arrest, apprehend, or detain persons who illegally cross the Texas-Mexico border.” , and deter people attempting to cross the border illegally, even with the use of non-deadly crowd control measures.”

The bill would not only give the BPU authority to “deter and turn away” individuals attempting to enter Texas illegally at locations other than ports of entry, but it would also give it authority to return migrants who “have observed illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border, and were apprehended, detained, or arrested in the vicinity of the border,” the bill says.

Perhaps most troubling to the Texas Civil Rights Project, Bay said, is the proposed unit’s apparent lack of oversight and accountability. Unit members would not have to be law enforcement officers, leaving an open opportunity for “vigilantes” to go after migrants, Bay said.

According to the bill, “the unit is a division under the commission made up of the number of authorized agents and other employees designated by the legislature.” “The head of the unit may employ non-agents as necessary to carry out the functions of the unit,” the bill says.

“The BPU is added to the Texas Police Department, as a new branch, but its director doesn’t oversee the BPU. If they have a disagreement on the ground, it would be up to the governor to resolve it, which is unrealistic. Those are some pretty serious concerns. big,” Bay said.

HB7 states that a BPU chief may not employ anyone “convicted of a violent crime,” or “dishonorably discharged from the United States armed forces or the Texas military.”

Under the bill, it would be up to the Texas governor to appoint the head of the unit, who would serve until removed by the governor. The unit would function until the year 2030 within the Texas Police Department. Counties would have to choose whether or not the BPU can operate in their jurisdiction.