Staff Reports
For years Washington has failed to secure our southern border, so Texans finally did what the feds would not: the state pushed through S.B. 4 — a law that empowers state actors to arrest migrants who cross the border unlawfully and gives magistrates the option to issue return orders rather than allow open-ended releases. The law, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023, has been the subject of intense litigation but was cleared to take broader effect by the Fifth Circuit this spring, and that is exactly the kind of decisive action patriots want to see from state leaders.
S.B. 4 creates new state offenses for illegal entry and reentry and authorizes magistrates to offer a return to the country of origin in lieu of prolonged prosecution, a tool designed to remove bad actors quickly and relieve overcrowded jails. The state’s defenders argue this is not a grab for federal authority but a practical mechanism to send people back when the federal system refuses to act, while opponents scream “unconstitutional” and predict chaos.
Unsurprisingly, Washington’s legal establishment and leftist advocacy groups have sued to block portions of the law, and a federal judge temporarily enjoined key provisions before the appeals process moved forward — predictable obstruction from those who put politics over safety. Yet the reality on the ground is simple: when the Biden administration weakens enforcement and leaves communities exposed, states have every right to use the tools available to protect citizens and sovereignty.
Governor Abbott and Texas officials have made clear they will cooperate with federal immigration authorities when useful and will not hesitate to act unilaterally if the federal government refuses to secure our borders, a posture many conservatives applaud as commonsense federalism. Americans who work hard and pay taxes are entitled to a government that enforces its own laws; if the federal bureaucracy won’t do the job, then bold statesmanship and enforcement are proper, moral responses to an invasion that threatens communities across Texas and the nation.
