The second-largest source of income for Mexican drug cartels is human trafficking into the U.S. Laws discouraging illegal immigration challenge that income. The cartels have so much sway over the Mexican government that even the country’s president is speaking out against Texas laws countering illegal immigration.
Earlier this week, a confrontation broke out between Texas Army National Guard troops and a group of migrants who charged a border wall in El Paso. Texas Governor Abbott has called the immigration crisis an invasion.
Attempting to stem the flow of illegals, he came under fire, allegedly for passing a law making illegal entry from Mexico into the U.S. a crime. The irony of this statement is that it is already “illegal” to enter the U.S. illegally.
To be more accurate, Abbott has not made illegal entry into the United States a crime; he has instructed his police officers to enforce existing laws, arrest lawbreakers, and restore legality by deporting the illegals.
Under Title 8 federal authority, it is illegal to enter the US at non-ports of entry, and the punishment is deportation and a five-year ban on future immigration.
Social media accounts in Mexico provide instructions on how to enter the US illegally, including encouraging people to enter at illegal points of entry. Human traffickers, transitional criminal organizations, however, are selling illegal access to the US.
The criminals, generally linked to drug cartels, accept money from the migrants, promising safe passage, but they are being led to illegal entry ports. The money that cartels are earning from illegal human trafficking to the US is used to buy more guns, politicians, and judges, further destabilizing Mexico.
Title 8 states, “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such actions as may be necessary to install additional physical barriers and roads (including the removal of obstacles to detection of illegal entrants) in the vicinity of the United States border to deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States.”
This is one of the many points of contention between Governor Abbott and the federal government. The governor, along with many American Conservatives, is questioning why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not doing more to prevent illegal immigration and why the Federal government would challenge the Texas governor’s assertion that he has the authority to protect the border of his state to keep his citizens safe.
Additionally, Title 8 mandates the erection of physical barriers to prevent illegal entrance to the US. However, when Governor Abbott implemented barriers, he faced vilification from the media, and the federal government ordered him to remove them.
Governor Abbott’s efforts to enforce immigration law have been challenged at both the state and federal levels. Twenty-five GOP state governors have signed the “Stand with Texas” declaration, expressing support for Governor Abbott and defending the border.
Hellbound and Down 