Texans for Strong Borders President Chris Russo Testifies in Favor of SB 17
On March 6, Texans for Strong Borders President Chris Russo testified at the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs, chaired by Sen. Brian Hughes. Russo spoke in favor of SB 17 and thanked the author Sen. Lois Kolkhorst for her efforts to promote Texas-first policies.
The goal of SB 17 is to protect national security and prevent foreign government ownership of Texas land. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are listed as countries “engaging in competitive behavior that directly threatens U.S. national security.” If a country remains on the list of US threats for three straight years, no person or company from that country would be allowed to buy Texas land.
Russo stated that protecting Texas land from foreign entities tied to hostile nations is not just an economic concern but a national security imperative. Foreign entities should not be able to buy lands that could be used to compromise our military infrastructure, food supply, or other critical resources.
Russo pointed to last March’s GOP primary results, in which over 95% of Republican primary voters supported restricting foreign ownership of Texas land. Recent polling suggests that 76% of all Texans hold a similar position.
While Texans for Strong Borders fully supports SB 17, Russo stated that the bill could be stronger. Russo suggested adding stricter financial consequences to deter violations.
Texans for Strong Borders also supports a general prohibition on foreign land acquisition in Texas instead of denying sales to just a few nations.
Trump Admin Officials Dissatisfied with Speed of Deportation Efforts
President Trump promised to secure our border, and so far he has delivered. In only a little over a month as President, he has managed to achieve the lowest-ever recorded number of illegal aliens crossing our border.
However, while new crossings are historically low, administration officials are not satisfied with the speed of deportation efforts. Despite full support for mass deportations from the President, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) faces a $253M budget shortfall, limited detention space, and growing pains from rapidly onboarding personnel.
ICE would prefer to round up illegal aliens from prisons and jails around the country, but sanctuary cities are making that difficult by limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pushing the Internal Revenue Service to turn over hundreds of thousands of addresses to aid in location and removal of illegal aliens.
Immigration officials are also struggling with recalcitrant nations who will not accept illegal aliens back into their home countries, and President Trump has had to engage in tough diplomacy to address this challenge.
DHS lacks the necessary detention space to hold illegal aliens pending final removal, and some illegal aliens apprehended after President Trump’s inauguration have already been released.
Fortunately, Border Czar Thomas Homan has several ideas for how to increase mass deportation efforts, including reinstating the practice of detaining immigrant families. He is considering using military sites to contend with a shortage of detention beds as well as reopening detention facilities in Texas. Homan said, “We[‘ve] got a lot of options on the table.“
In order to ensure that President Trump can deliver on his campaign promise of mass deportations, Congress must deliver the funds necessary to support these operations.