Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Urged to Push Mandatory E-Verify: ‘Remove the Reward for Illegal Aliens’

Abbott
Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images
John Binder

Pro-American immigration reformers are urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to propose a crackdown on illegal immigration, similar to those plans issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

As Breitbart News reported, DeSantis detailed a legislative package that includes:

  • Increasing criminal penalties for human smugglers
  • Mandating E-Verify across the state for all employers
  • Prohibiting counties from issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens
  • Banning out-of-state waiver for illegal aliens
  • Making it a felony for illegal aliens to use false identities to gain employment

Chris Russo with Texans for Strong Borders is now urging Abbott to take similar steps.

“We applaud Governor DeSantis for taking the lead and proposing impactful reforms that seek to turn off the magnets that draw illegal aliens to cross our borders and that keep them here,” Russo said in a statement.

“Expanding E-Verify and prohibiting in-state tuition for illegal aliens are two of our top three legislative priorities, and we hope that Governor DeSantis’ plan will put pressure on the Texas legislature to act,” he continued.

E-Verify, for example, is not required for all employers in Texas unless they are holding state contracts. Likewise, Russo wants to see Texas ban in-state tuition for illegal aliens:

We applaud Governor DeSantis for taking the lead and proposing impactful reforms that seek to turn off the magnets that draw illegal aliens to cross our borders and that keep them here. Expanding E-Verify and prohibiting in-state tuition for illegal aliens are two of our top three legislative priorities, and we hope that Governor DeSantis’ plan will put pressure on the Texas legislature to act. [Emphasis added]

Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi told Breitbart News that the state’s border with Mexico “is flooded with illegal aliens who are then rewarded with good U.S. jobs that line the pockets of Mexican drug cartels.”

“Mandating E-Verify and other enforcement measures remove the reward for illegal aliens to cross the border,” Rinaldi said. “We applaud Gov. DeSantis for once again leading the charge on this critical issue.”

Terrell County Sheriff Thad Cleveland, whose county sits in Rep. Tony Gonzalez’s (R-TX) district, said that his 12 years of experience as a Border Patrol agent and, now, as sheriff has made it clear that “illegal aliens that cross through Terrell County are entering our country primarily for economic reasons.”

Hefty fines for employers hiring illegal aliens are needed, Cleveland told Breitbart News.

“Until we pass a law that truly impacts those hiring illegal aliens, we will continue to have the steady flow of illegal aliens attempting to cross our borders illegally,” Cleveland said:

We must fully execute the use of E-Verify as it is intended and hold those willing to hire illegal aliens accountable. [Emphasis added]

RJ Hauman, with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told Breitbart News that “every Republican elected official should look to Gov. DeSantis for guidance,” on the issue of illegal immigration rather than “business lobbyists who oppose the most effective enforcement mechanism,” mainly mandatory E-Verify.

“Without truly mandatory E-Verify in place to discourage illegal aliens from entering or staying in Texas, Governor Abbott has pursued lesser measures — from Operation Lone Star to bussing migrants across the country,” Hauman said:

While the governor’s approach has been admirable, these efforts haven’t had much of an impact. That’s why it’s time to take the next step and work with the legislature to mandate E-Verify for all public and private entities in the state. [Emphasis added]

Abbott, in recent years, has made immense efforts to fight illegal immigration on behalf of Texans. Most recently, Abbott invoked the state’s invasion clause to construct portions of border wall, deploy state law enforcement to arrest illegal aliens, deploy the National Guard to assist in securing the border, and designate the Mexican Drug Cartels as a foreign terrorist organization.

Similarly, Abbott has imposed an effective transportation policy where the state sends weekly buses of border crossers and illegal aliens to sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.

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