Current Events > Texas Fascists propose legally immune group to hunt migrants on border

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-repulican-vigilante-group-migrants-b2307632.html

Republican lawmakers in Texas want to create a state security force to patrol the US-Mexico border that critics have characterised as a "vigilante death squad policy."
Dade Phelan, the Republican speaker of Texas' House of Representatives, told a meeting of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that he plans to introduce a bill that he says will "make national headlines and change the conversation on border security," according to The Intercept.
The bill House Bill 20 would allow Texas' Department of Public Safety to hunt, arrest, and deport undocumented migrants.
The group would be comprised of law enforcement officers and civilians under the direction of a governor-selected chief. The members of the group would also be extended immunity from criminal prosecution relating to their actions on the border. They will be directed to "arrest, detain, and deter individuals crossing the border illegally including with the use of non-deadly force."

The group will also apparently be authorised to "use force to repel, arrest, and detain known transnational cartel operatives in the border region."
A piece of companion legislation would make undocumented entry into Texas a state crime, with first-time offenders subject to a year in prison, two years in prison for second-time offenders, and life in prison for individuals with prior felony convictions.

Democrats in Texas are opposed to the bill, likening the legislation to a "vigilante death squads policy."

This dangerous, radical, and unconstitutional proposal which empowers border vigilantes to hunt migrants and racially profile Latinos is going to result in the death of innocent people, Victoria Neave Criado, the Democratic chair of Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said in a statement last week. MALC is going to do everything in our power to kill this legislation just as Latino State Representatives for the past 5 decades have fought against Klan-like proposals.
Mr Phelan anticipated the opposition, and claimed he was prepared to take the matter to the conservative-majority Supreme Court if Democrats challenge the law.
This isn't the first time the state has tried to create a border protection force beyond the federal US Customs and Border Protection agency. In 2021 Republican Governor Greg Abbott initiated "Operation Lone Star" that placed National Guard troops at the border. However, the $4bn endeavor was met with numerous controversies, including the deaths of several National Guard members, some to suicide, and allegations of human rights violations that resulted in a Justice Department investigation.
The operation has shown no notable difference in the rate of undocumented border crossings or transnational drug trafficking.

If the case is challenged and successfully survives a Supreme Court ruling, it would change the way all border states could police the southern border.

Yeah they say they want "non-deadly force" but I promise you it's going to be open f***ing season because nobody is going to report those who go too far

It's heartbreaking seeing America go backwards in such a rapid amount of time, all while knowing there's literally nothing we can do to make things better.

I'm a Texas Fascist to the extent I want Texans to have their own nation

So a posse

wackyteen posted...

The group would be comprised of law enforcement officers and civilians under the direction of a governor-selected chief.

the Homer Simpson method

catfan2008 posted...

the Homer Simpson method

They'll give you the sack, but you have to supply your own doorknobs.

I hate how fascism is growing and these fascist governors are trying to build their own little SS squads and nobody is doing a goddamn thing about it. Democrats/the government do nothing. The people do nothing (including myself though one person can't do it alone). At this point I don't think actual bloodshed or deaths of innocent people will even wake people up.

Southernfatman posted...

I hate how fascism is growing and these fascist governors are trying to build their own little SS squads and nobody is doing a goddamn thing about it. Democrats/the government do nothing. The people do nothing (including myself though one person can't do it alone). At this point I don't think actual bloodshed or deaths of innocent people will even wake people up.

There's nothing anyone can do about it. That's what makes it frustrating.

Cron, did you get on CE today just to promote helplessness?

Southernfatman posted...

I hate how fascism is growing and these fascist governors are trying to build their own little SS squads and nobody is doing a goddamn thing about it. Democrats/the government do nothing. The people do nothing (including myself though one person can't do it alone). At this point I don't think actual bloodshed or deaths of innocent people will even wake people up.

Same in the UK.

We're just sleepily walking into fascism and the media is prepared to burn anyone who speaks out against it.

So dont worry, soon America will join the UK in cracking down on protests so you can't do anything about it.

The best thing to do is to refuse to take it sitting down. Speak out. Protest.

And copy the French and burn everything the fuck down.

CRON posted...

There's nothing anyone can do about it. That's what makes it frustrating.

They had a good idea of combating it in the 40s. People just need to fucking grow a pair. I blame Democrats and the government more though. They just let Republicans get away with attempting an insurrection. They stupidly think they can reason and deal with them.

Funkydog posted...

Same in the UK.

We're just sleepily walking into fascism and the media is prepared to burn anyone who speaks out against it.

So dont worry, some America will join the UK in cracking down on protests so you can't do anything about it.

The best thing to do is to refuse to take it sitting down. Speak out. Protest.

And copy the French and burn everything the fuck down.

I've read about how things are going in the U.K. and it also saddens me. Both sides of the pond need to wake up. And yeah, the French know how to do things.

Funkydog posted...

And copy the French and burn everything the fuck down.

Thiiiiis.

wackyteen posted...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-repulican-vigilante-group-migrants-b2307632.html

Yeah they say they want "non-deadly force" but I promise you it's going to be open f***ing season because nobody is going to report those who go too far

And if they get reported, so what? They'd be legally immune to repercussions.
And they won't stop with the border. You better believe if this goes they'll eventually find justification to expand this across the state and even the nation.
This shit needs to be shut the fuck down right now.

Southernfatman posted...

I've read about how things are going in the U.K. and it also saddens me. Both sides of the pond need to wake up. And yeah, the French know how to do things.

One saving grace in the UK is that the Tories are despised across the country despite their control of the media and media regulators. It's not much but it's something.

CyricZ posted...

Thiiiiis.

I 100% would join any such protests in the UK tbh

wackyteen posted...

A piece of companion legislation would make undocumented entry into Texas a state crime, with first-time offenders subject to a year in prison, two years in prison for second-time offenders, and life in prison for individuals with prior felony convictions.

It would be cheaper to just house and feed them while helping them try to find a job so they can start paying taxes.

CRON posted...

It's heartbreaking seeing America go backwards in such a rapid amount of time, all while knowing there's literally nothing we can do to make things better.

It's not "America" it's just the red states. Elsewhere we had the first state in forever to repeal Right-To-Work.

Think about it.

A legally immune body that hunts migrants. How does someone distinguish a hispanic US Citizen from "an illegal" from the scope of a sniper rifle or the view of a gun from a pickup truck?

And how do you distinguish from a 100% legal US citizen with a foreign accent from "an illegal"?

If this wasn't disturbing enough, look at the language they used. They said migrants, not "illegal immigrants". They could go after 100% legal immigrants, or change the "policy" and go after them anyway since they do qualify as migrants.

This is basically ethnic cleansing.

Southernfatman posted...

I blame Democrats and the government more though. They just let Republicans get away with attempting an insurrection

democrats tried to blame republican's for it but they swept it under the rug (the one in bold).
republican's went full defense to keep trump out of jail for what he did.

Texas can't do this if America stops existing

Ironically this is how the border patrol got started.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

probably a lot of cops

The_shibe posted...

Think about it.

A legally immune body that hunts migrants. How does someone distinguish a hispanic US Citizen from "an illegal" from the scope of a sniper rifle or the view of a gun from a pickup truck?

And how do you distinguish from a 100% legal US citizen with a foreign accent from "an illegal"?

If this wasn't disturbing enough, look at the language they used. They said migrants, not "illegal immigrants". They could go after 100% legal immigrants, or change the "policy" and go after them anyway since they do qualify as migrants.

This is basically ethnic cleansing.

Having anything other than white skin would be justification for this band of thugs to harass and assault you.

This is so absolutely unhinged.

I'm not sure what a path towards a reasonable governing body looks like currently. It seems like either violent fascism will take hold, or there's going to need to be a literally revolution to expunge these people from government and restrict people like them from gaining power.

I don't see how normal democratic or left-wing governing is ever going to fix this, now that it's become so explicit.

Null_Gain posted...

Having anything other than white skin would be justification for this band of thugs to harass and assault you.

Yes. and they'd have legal immunity to do so

they will shoot people all the time on the border and claim self defense later. Just like cops. And Southern state courts will back them up

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

They already said they were staffing it with law enforcement, the pinnacle of well-adjusted public servants.

This is a bill so racist asswipes can yeehaw it up and shoot some brown people legally, nothing more.

mybbqrules posted...

They already said they were staffing it with law enforcement, the pinnacle of well-adjusted public servants.

This is a bill so racist asswipes can yeehaw it up and shoot some brown people legally, nothing more.

so can everyone agree now that the GOP is setting up the stage for engineering ethnic cleansing? You got the anti trans laws, now this too

Zikten posted...

they will shoot people all the time on the border and claim self defense later. Just like cops. And Southern state courts will back them up

And chuds will go "These people wouldn't be shot if they stayed in their own country or came here legally! P.S. if you don't like it, leave!"

hockeybub89 posted...

And chuds will go "These people wouldn't be shot if they stayed in their own country or came here legally! P.S. if you don't like it, leave!"

And if the victim was born in the US and has citizenship, the chuds will say "they shouldn't have argued with the patrol team!"

The_shibe posted...

so can everyone agree now that the GOP is setting up the stage for engineering ethnic cleansing?

it'll add to the crap that every other country can blame the US for :(.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Pretty much. I was born in 1981. Ronald Reagan set up the decades long plan to have a Right Wing government take over of America. He played a big role in causing the way American politics is now

Time to declare war on republicans?

Zikten posted...

Pretty much. I was born in 1981. Ronald Reagan set up the decades long plan to have a Right Wing government take over of America. He played a big role in causing the way American politics is now

come on man. Reagan and Bush didn't try to pass laws like "shoot brown and trans people, we'll give you legal immunity lol. BTW if you have an immigrant in your car or house we will go after you too"

I'm all for better illegal immigration control, but that is absolutely not the way to do it, Jesus Christ.

The_shibe posted...

come on man. Reagan and Bush didn't try to pass laws like "shoot brown and trans people, we'll give you legal immunity lol. BTW if you have an immigrant in your car or house we will go after you too"

Reagan began the crumbling of democracy. One thing he did was undo a law that used to make it illegal for news broadcasts to lie

He also gave citizenship to the owner of Fox News

Zikten posted...

Reagan began the crumbling of democracy. One thing he did was undo a law that used to make it illegal for news broadcasts to lie

He also gave citizenship to the owner of Fox News

true

CRON posted...

There's nothing anyone can do about it. That's what makes it frustrating.

There is something people can do, but resorting to that would mean risking your future. Would you sacrifice yourself for the betterment of others?

Humble_Novice posted...

There is something people can do, but resorting to that would mean risking your future. Would you sacrifice yourself for the betterment of others?

Are you me?