Texas: Greg Abbott’s Border Measures Are Extreme, Dehumanizing, Says White House Press Secretary

Texas Governor Greg Abbott's newly signed law that allows law enforcement to arrest people suspected of being illegal migrants near the Texas border might get legally challenged as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Abbot and his draconian new law during a recent press conference.

"This is something that Governor Abbott has done over and over again," she told the White House Press Corps. "There are plenty of examples that I have listed out before, whether it is leaving migrants on the side of the road in the middle of winter, installing razor wire near the border, making it more dangerous for border patrol to do their jobs, and place buoys in the river and making it hard for Border Patrol to do their jobs as well."

According to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also stated that Abbott's recently signed measures are placing migrants in harm's way, as well as being extreme and dehumanizing them.

Abbott has received plenty of complaints not just from the White House over his extreme measures in policing migrants, but also from the Mexican government, human rights advocates, and migrant advocacy groups, with some already threatening to challenge his newly signed law, known as SB4, in the courts before it even begins to take effect in March.

This new law was made to slam Joe Biden as an influx of migrants not just from other parts of the Americas have flocked to the US-Mexico border to escape the hardships in their respective countries and live a better life in the United States. However, this act of political one-upmanship has resulted in several migrants being injured or dying. Reports of Texas officials mistreating migrants have also become common.

What Does Greg Abbott's New Anti-Immigration Law Mean for Migrants?

Abbott signed the new law last Monday and it makes it a misdemeanor "to enter or attempt to enter Texas from a foreign country at any location other than a lawful port of entry." This means that normal police officers from the state are now allowed to arrest anybody suspected of having entered the country illegally.

Migrants who are arrested this way have two choices and that is to either get jailed due to a misdemeanor and then deported or voluntarily leave the country. This measure is expected to face several legal roadblocks, as groups like the ACLU are filing legal challenges to block it from taking effect, according to NBC News.

Texas Latino Community in Fear of Greg Abbott's New Law

When Abbott finally signed the new law, it sent ripples of fear throughout the Latino community in Texas. According to CNN, this new law signed by Abbott has raised concerns among Latinos living in the state that it may lead to racial profiling, as what former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did previously in Arizona.

Latinos make up 40% of the state's population and this could lead Texas authorities to unjustly target many of them. However, Democrats believe that this new law is unconstitutional as enforcing immigration law is under federal jurisdiction, not the state's.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Governor Abbott signs new bills authorizing state officials to arrest migrants - CBS Texas