Legal Immigrants in Texas Should Be Worried, Too

This week, Texas is battling in the courts to implement its new immigration law, SB 4. The law is an unprecedented attempt to supersede federal immigration policy, allowing the state to order immigrants to leave.

At the same time, Iowa and other states are advancing copycat bills. Their supporters say it’s all about “state sovereignty.” In reality, it’s all about unleashing chaos on America’s embattled immigrants who already face the world’s most complicated immigration system.

SB 4 authorizes the state to charge immigrants who enter the United States illegally with a misdemeanor. Judges will order them to leave the country and require state police to drive them to the Mexican border. If immigrants fail to leave after drop-off—or if they re-enter—they could be charged with felonies. The scheme is ill-considered both legally and practically.

Read more at The Daily Beast.