FILE - Members of the National Guard stand as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and fellow governors hold a news conference along the Rio Grande to discuss Operation Lone Star and border concerns, Feb. 4, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Senate has advanced a bill Monday, April 8, that would empower state and local law enforcement to arrest and jail people in the state who enter the U.S. illegally, similar to embattled legislation in Texas.
Across the nation, reliably red legislatures have advanced tougher immigration enforcement measures. The Oklahoma House passed a bill that would prohibit state revenue from being used to provide benefits to those living in the state illegally. A bill in Tennessee, which is awaiting the governor's signature, would require law enforcement agencies in the state to communicate with federal immigration authorities if they discover people who are in the country illegally.
Louisiana's bill would create the crime of “illegal entry or reentry” into Louisiana. Illegal reentry includes people who were previously “denied admission, excluded, deported, or otherwise removed from the U.S.” The bill passed the Senate along party lines after 10 minutes of debate and now heads to the House.
In addition, the bill would authorize Gov. Landry to make an interstate compact with Texas and other states willing to participate in Texas’ state-led border security efforts. Proponents say the provision will help prevent illegal border crossings by sharing information and "state resources to build surveillance systems and physical barriers to deter illegal activity along the border.”