AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, the Texas House of Representatives initially passed two major immigration-related bills, Senate Bill 4 and House Bill 6. SB 4 increases the penalty for human smuggling to a minimum 10-year prison sentence and a minimum of five years for operating a stash house.
There was a lot of back-and-forth about this bill, including seven proposed amendments that all failed. Rep. Ryan Guillen (R), the sponsor of this bill, made it clear that it does not change the definition of smuggling but instead increases penalties to try to deter people from doing it.
There is a provision in the bill to lower the minimum sentence to five years for people transporting certain family members, including their child, parent or grandparent. But some lawmakers offered amendments to expand that to include third- and fourth-degree family members like aunts, uncles and first cousins. They argued many of these migrant families are close-knit and rely heavily on extended family.
“Many Latinx families rely heavily on extended family members including cousins, uncles and aunts,” said State Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston). "This means first that cousins act more like a sibling, for instance relying on each other for rides to and from work and to medical appointments."
Another hot topic of debate in the House, the funding for building a border wall, was initially passed on Wednesday. House Bill 6 would appropriate $1.5 billion to build an estimated 50 miles of wall on the Texas-Mexico Border – $1.3 billion of that would go toward construction-ready projects, and the rest of the money would go to additional wall projects as land agreements are finalized.
But lawmakers in the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus were vocal about their opposition to this bill, as well as the other immigration bills brought up on Wednesday.
“I hate to say this, but this might be a down payment to future wasteful spending,” said State Rep. Armando Walle (D).
They said taxpayer dollars should instead be going towards more important issues, like raising teacher pay, expanding Medicaid and addressing the foster care system.
The House also started debate on one of the most contentious of the immigration bills, House Bill 4. The bill would criminalize unauthorized immigration into Texas and allow Texas officers to arrest and send people back across the border. Those opposed think this bill will separate families and as well as hurt the Texas workforce and economy.
“The Legislature is considering measure that will hurt construction companies and workers,” said Ana Gonzales, Texas AFL-CIO. “Workers deserve dignity and respect, regardless of their immigration status.”
The bills that passed on Wednesday now need one more vote in the House before heading to the governor’s desk. They are expected to get those final votes on Thursday.