As our federal government continues to flounder on the border, many states are taking the crisis into their own hands.

From The Epoch Times. Conservative states across the country — Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and Oklahoma — are taking border security matters into their own hands, proposing or passing legislation targeting illegal immigration.

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HB 4156 states: “A person commits an impermissible occupation if the person is an alien and willfully and without permission enters and remains in the State of Oklahoma without having first obtained legal authorization to enter the United States.”

The bill passed the state House and Senate by wide margins and Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, is expected to sign it into law. …

Under the new law, a conviction related to “impermissible occupation” would be considered a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in a county jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.

Subsequent offenses are felonies, punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Illegal immigrants who are barred from the country or have been issued a removal order by an immigration judge, and then enter Oklahoma will face a felony charge carrying a possible sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

In all instances, those found guilty must leave Oklahoma within 72 hours of being convicted or released from custody. …

“The failure of the federal government to address this issue … has turned every state into a border state,” said bill sponsor state Rep. Charles Mr. McCall said in a statement. …

Texas’ law, Senate Bill 4, makes it a state crime to enter Texas outside legal ports of entry.

The new law, which goes into effect July 1, makes it a misdemeanor to be in the state or attempt to enter the state after being deported, denied admission to the United States, or if an individual has an outstanding deportation order.

Being in the state illegally becomes a felony under certain circumstances such as the accused having two or more misdemeanor convictions involving drugs or crimes against a person. …

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a new law this month that requires law enforcement agencies to communicate with federal immigration authorities if they discover people are in the country illegally, requiring in most cases cooperation in the process of identifying, catching, detaining, and deporting them.

The law takes effect July 1. …

Members of the Tennessee House blamed President Biden’s lack of border enforcement for the necessity of the law. …

In Georgia, lawmakers passed House Bill 1105 that would require jailers to check the immigration status of inmates.

The law passed the chamber on April 8 along party lines and headed to the House, also controlled by Republicans. …

The battleground state of Arizona passed a law similar to Texas’ HB 4, but its Democratic Gov. Katy Hobbs vetoed it.

That inspired the Legislature to draft a ballot measure to be put to voters in November that would require businesses to use E-verify. E-verify is a voluntary federal online service for employers to check an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States against Department of Homeland Security and Social Security records.

New Hampshire, which is Republican-led, passed SB 504 allowing police to bring criminal trespassing charges against people suspected of illegally entering the United States from Canada. The measure must be approved by the House to advance.

Cities and Counties

Cities and counties in red and blue states are also pushing back in creative ways to stop illegal immigrants from coming into their jurisdictions. …

Counties such as Orange and Rockland in upstate New York were successful in using local zoning laws to stop the mayor from busing illegal immigrants to live in their hotels. …

Likewise, zoning was used by the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, to stop illegal immigrants from living in hotels. …

In Colorado’s Mesa County, commissioners passed a resolution in February declaring the county a “non-sanctuary county,” and denying shelter and services to illegal aliens sent there by the state or federal government. …

Commissioners also passed a resolution to send a letter to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston informing him the county doesn’t plan to help the city deal with its illegal immigrant surge. …

Besides beefing up law enforcement to help the U.S. Coast Guard spot migrants and sending the Florida National Guard to Texas, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved laws to deter illegal aliens from staying in the Sunshine State.

The Republican governor signed SB 1718 in 2023, which was criticized by the left as one of the most anti-illegal immigrant pieces of legislation in the country.

The law mandates that private businesses with 25 or more employees use E-verify, penalizes employers for hiring illegal aliens, and enhances penalties for human smuggling.

Additionally, the bill prohibits issuing a driver’s license to anyone who cannot prove they are lawfully in the United States, and it invalidates ID cards issued to illegal aliens in other states. …

This year, Florida doubled down on legislation.

HB 1451 prohibits counties from funding groups to issue IDs for illegal aliens or accepting IDs of those known to be in the country illegally.

SB 1036 enhances penalties for illegal aliens who are deported and then return to commit a crime in Florida. HB 1589 increases penalties for the offense of driving without a valid driver’s license. …

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s perpetual battle with the Biden administration’s open border policies thrust Texas into the limelight, with other red-state governors lending support.

The Lone Star State has focused on deterrents and enforcement, spending more than $4.5 billion on Operation Lone Star since 2021, with lawmakers allocating another $5.1 billion in 2023.

The program pays for a state-built border wall, more police officers and Texas National Guard members at the border, as well as resources to prosecute and jail illegal immigrants on state charges such as trespassing and evading arrest.

SB 4 was scheduled to go into effect on March 5 but was put on hold after the Biden administration and left-wing nonprofit organizations sued.

Illegal immigrants who enter Texas outside legal ports of entry can be arrested on Class B misdemeanor charges and sentenced to up to six months in jail under SB 4. However, repeat offenders could face second-degree felony charges and sentences of up to 20 years in prison. …

The U.S. Supreme Court briefly allowed the law to go into effect after sending it back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The appeals court then halted enforcement while it considers the latest appeal.

Texas has also built several more miles of border wall, and used shipping containers and razor wire to block easy access for illegal immigrants who cross the river from Mexico. The state has added buoys in the middle of the Rio Grande to deter entry as well.

Mr. Abbott has arguably pushed the problem of illegal immigration to the forefront of American politics through Operation Lone Star by busing more than 100,000 illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles, as well as the District of Columbia since 2022. Sanctuary jurisdictions have laws that shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities.

With illegal immigrants also being transported to those cities by the Biden administration, the cities quickly became overwhelmed, putting a strain on budgets and wreaking havoc on community resources to provide food, shelter, and medical care. …

On taking office, President Biden immediately revoked policies established under the Trump administration that curtailed illegal immigration, such as “Remain in Mexico,” which forced asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases were pending.

Since then, illegal immigration into the United States has skyrocketed, overwhelming Border Patrol. …

Those on the left view migration as a global human right in a world where borders shouldn’t exist. They contend that illegal immigrants, or “newcomers” as the city of Denver calls them, fleeing poverty and political turmoil help America’s economy.

Liberal states aligned with the president, such as California, offer free health care to illegal immigrants, while blue cities, such as New York City, provide free housing plus $1,500 per month stipends for illegal aliens. …

The border crisis is now one of the biggest issues in America, especially leading into the election this November. Share this article to mobilize prayer.

(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Greg Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)