President-elect Donald Trump has promised to crackdown on illegal immigration starting as soon as the first day of his second term.
Meanwhile, a new bill recently filed in the Texas Senate would make it easier for new border wall segments to be built in the Lone Star State.
CBS News Texas politics reporter Jack Fink spoke with the bill’s author as part of Sunday’s Eye on Politics.
Also on the immigration topic, one of the first bills could reach Trump’s desk: The Laken Riley Act. Fink spoke with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who passed an amendment to the legislation.
And as part of a series that looks at how Trump immigration policies could impact the Texas border with Mexico, CBS News Texas anchor Ken Molestina returned to various Texas border communities to hear what residents are saying about the new administration.
Texas’ eminent domain authority to build border wall
State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) has filed a bill to allow Texas to use eminent domain authority to build a wall along the southern border. Creighton, the Senate President Pro Tempore, said his bill is the only legislation filed so far that would give the state the power.
In an interview with CBS News Texas, Creighton said the state must think beyond the Trump administration.
“In Texas, we have to continue working on our border enforcement plan because either way you look at it, this administration will be there for four years, but protecting Texas and all Texans at our southern border is not on a four year expiration. That’s permanent,” the state legislator said.
Creighton said eminent domain authority is already used by the state for other public projects.
“Just as we do for highways, roads, dams, and bridges. Keeping people safe, building necessary infrastructure to provide for the safety of all Texans,” he explained.
Watch Jack Fink’s full interview with State Sen. Brandon Creighton:
State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) criticized the bill.
“The state already has eminent domain power, but the state has to prove that it actually needs it. In Texas, we’ve actually thrown in more than $10 billion into border security in our state and we have very little to show for it,” he argued.
Laken Riley Act
The U.S. Senate advanced what could become the first bill to crack down illegal immigration during incoming President Donald Trump’s second term.
The Laken Riley Act is named after Laken Riley, a nursing school student in Georgia who was murdered by a man who entered the country illegally. If passed, those in the country illegally who are accused of crimes such as burglary, theft, and shoplifting would be detained by federal authorities.
Sen. John Cornyn told CBS News Texas that an amendment to the bill that he passed last week requires any migrant who assaulted law enforcement officers to be held by the feds as well.
“I think it’s common sense. It’s shocking to me that 25 Democrats voted against that. But I guess those are the 25 who didn’t learn anything from the November 5th election, but I’m glad it passed. I expect we will send this to President Trump’s desk, and he will sign it into law shortly after he is sworn in,” Sen. Cornyn said.
There is bipartisan support for this bill in the Senate. The House previously approved the measure but will have to vote on it again because of Sen. Cornyn’s amendment. Opponents, including some Democrats, have criticized the measure saying it removes due process rights for migrants. The vote in the Senate will take place next week.
Cornyn also discussed how Republicans intend to pass Trump’s agenda and his decision to run for reelection next year.
Watch Jack Fink’s full interview with Sen. John Cornyn:
Back to the border
CBS News Texas anchor Ken Molestina returned to various communities along the Texas border to get a sense of how people are feeling as Trump takes office.
In November, Trump not only won in the state of Texas, but border counties turned red.
Watch Ken Molestina’s story:
Texas House speaker battle
After a contentious battle that split Texas House Republicans, State Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock was elected Speaker.
In the second round of voting, he defeated his fellow Republican David Cook of Mansfield, 85 to 55 votes.
Records show 49 Democratic representatives voted for Burrows, which is more than the 36 Republicans who backed him. Burrows struck a conciliatory tone after being sworn in: “I commit to you today every member, every member will have a voice. Every district, every district will have a seat at the table.”
House Democratic caucus chairman, Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, said most of the Democratic lawmakers backed Burrows because they’re tired of partisan bickering.
“What Democrats have done and what Republicans have done is the people who are reasonable in the middle and who actually want to fix things have gotten together and said forget all the partisanship, let’s work together,” Wu said.
Another Democratic state representative, Ramon Romero of Fort Worth, said Burrows’ victory was impressive: “Knowing that we have a strong leader I would say overwhelming 85 votes, I think it sends a good signal to the other branches that the House is independent.”
Burrows’ victory continues to divide Republicans. State Rep. Shelley Luther (R-Grayson County) agreed with the assessment by various grassroots conservatives who commented on social media.
“The Democrats just chose who they wanted for Speaker, that’s 100 percent true,” Luther said. She backed Rep. Cook over Burrows.
“I think we gave it a good try to get a reformer in the House. We tried to reform the Texas House like the grassroots wanted and we weren’t successful today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be successful in the Texas House this session. The grassroots are going to be pretty upset with some of the people who voted for Burrows, so I am worried for them at this point,” Luther added.
Among the Republicans who backed Burrows over Cook, State Rep. Jared Patterson of Frisco. He criticized Cook for not dropping out of the race.
“Let’s be clear, David Cook’s vanity project in running for Speaker and when he knew he had no pathway to become Speaker, he knew that he couldn’t get within 20 votes winning the election. He empowered the Democrats to pick the Speaker because he’s the one that split the party,” Patterson said.
CBS News Texas asked Rep. Cook for a response, but didn’t hear back. In a statement released after the vote, Cook said, “We sparked an important and long-overdue conversation about the need for reform within this body, and for that I am truly appreciative.”
Watch Jack Fink’s story on Speaker race:
As Trump takes office, a new Texas bill would make it easier to build the border wall
With the inauguration of President Trump, the issue of border security has once again taken center stage. In response to the President’s calls for a stronger border wall, Texas lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it easier to build the wall along the state’s southern border.
The bill, known as SB 12, would streamline the permitting process for building the wall by exempting it from certain environmental regulations. Proponents of the bill argue that this would help expedite the construction process and better protect the state from illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of the wall and the impact it could have on local communities. They argue that the bill would give the federal government too much power to bypass important environmental protections.
As the debate over border security continues to heat up, the fate of SB 12 remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: with the new administration in office, the issue of the border wall is likely to remain a hot topic for the foreseeable future.
Tags:
- Trump administration
- Texas legislation
- Border wall construction
- Immigration policy
- US-Mexico border
- Government regulations
- Political news
- Border security
- Texas border wall bill
- Trump presidency
#Trump #takes #office #Texas #bill #easier #build #border #wall