Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison of Waxahachie has filed legislation to expel illegal aliens using Texas’ state health authority until the federal government ends all COVID-19 restrictions.
House Bill 1491 would require that while federal COVID-19 public health orders and vaccine mandates remain in place, those attempting entrance to the U.S. must come through a legal port of entry.
Additionally, “any person who enters the State of Texas from a foreign country … shall be removed to the country from which they entered the United States, or their country of origin, or another location as practicable, as rapidly as possible, with as little time spent in congregate settings as practicable under the circumstances.”
“If Biden is going to force America to exist under a COVID Public Health Emergency he can no longer justify—along with vaccine mandates—and, at the same time, open the entire southern border to human traffickers, cartels, and millions of unscreened illegal aliens, then Texas should use every tool available to fight back and secure the border ourselves,” said Harrison.
Harrison served in the U.S. Health and Human Services Department as Chief of Staff under President Donald Trump and helped coordinate the federal Title 42 program. Harrison is “proud to file the Texas Title 42 Act to allow Texas to exercise our public health authorities and immediately begin expelling illegal immigrants.”
Despite more than 250,000 illegal border-crossers entering the U.S. in December, the Biden administration is actively working to end the federal government’s use of Title 42—a public health order that allows customs officials to send illegal border-crossers from “COVID-19 impacted” areas back across the border without having to process them through the federal court system.
In addition to measures from state lawmakers, federal, state, and local activists are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to use his constitutional authority—under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution—to defend Texas by declaring a foreign invasion and expelling illegal border-crossers amid the federal government’s dereliction of duty.
The 88th Legislative Session is ongoing, and March 10 is the deadline for lawmakers to file new legislation.
Citizens can contact their elected officials to ask how they will act to secure Texas.
