Sen. Charles Perry & Rep. David Spiller (shown in photo) have reached an agreement on landmark legislation to address the crisis on our southern border. Sen. Perry and Rep. Spiller issued this joint statement today upon filing identical bills, SB 4 and HB 4:

“Today, we filed identical bills to protect the people of Texas and all citizens of the United States. Protecting Texans from the imminent danger of the border crisis, made worse by the rise of human trafficking, fentanyl, cartel enterprises, and terrorist infiltration, is of paramount importance.

“Our shared priority has always been securing our southern border and developing a better process to address illegal immigrants that enter the State of Texas. The identical bills filed today chart a new path forward for our state.

“Our approach authorizes law enforcement officers to arrest any person who illegally enters or re-enters Texas. These new procedures will ensure that every illegal crosser arrested is fingerprinted and receives a background check. After appearing before a magistrate or judge, the illegal border crosser will be taken to a port of entry and ordered to return to the foreign nation from which the person illegally entered from.

“This bill establishes an effective deterrent to prevent illegal entries into our state, and we believe this bill clearly accomplishes the will of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.”