Despite backlash from some high-profile officials and organizations over the new Texas law that makes unlawful entry into the state a crime, a new poll found that most Texas residents support the border security measure.
A December poll conducted by the Texas Politics Project found that 56% of Texans support SB 4, which criminalizes unlawful entry and allows state law enforcement to apprehend those suspected of breaking the new law.
The poll found that 39% of respondents strongly support the new law, while 17% somewhat support the bill. In contrast, 19% of respondents stated that they strongly oppose the bill, with an additional 14% saying they somewhat oppose it.
Similarly, the Texas Politics Project conducted a poll that found the vast majority of Texas residents would support boosting security at the border and providing U.S. Customs and Border Protection with better assets.
The poll found that 81% of respondents either strongly or somewhat supported these initiatives, with just 14% stating they would be in opposition.
The polls appear to endorse Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security policies, which he said would “better protect Texans and Americans from Biden’s open border policies.”
Although Texas residents seem to support SB 4 and more border security, many well-known officials and organizations have spoken out against the new law.
The American Civil Liberties Union announced shortly after Abbott signed the bill that it would file a lawsuit to challenge the new law, alleging that it is unconstitutional because it purportedly violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“The bill overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities. Time and time again, elected officials in Texas have ignored their constituents and opted for white supremacist rhetoric and mass incarceration instead,” claimed Adriana Piñon, legal director of the ACLU of Texas, in a press release.
Additionally, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) posted on social media, calling the bill “a dangerous new law targeting immigrants + everyone who looks like them.”
Castro and 20 other members of Congress sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice to ask that the agency block the law from taking effect on March 5, 2024.