Texas House Democrats killed a bill May 9 that would have allowed civilians to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and detain migrants. Portions of the legislation, which was a priority of House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, were tacked onto another bill as amendments, but the most contentious items were left out.
House Bill 20, by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would have created a new “Border Protection Unit,” giving Gov. Greg Abbott the sole authority to select its leader. The border force would have consisted of licensed law enforcement officers and civilians, who, after training, could arrest and detain migrants for illegally crossing the border. HB 20 also would have allowed prosecutors to charge both migrants and U.S. citizens with a third-degree felony for trespassing on private property while crossing into Texas “from any neighboring jurisdiction.”