What Texas voters think about stricter border bills

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Fairly broad support exists for a stricter slate of bills related to the border that the Texas governor signed into law this week, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The University of Texas and the Texas Politics Project shared their findings after asking more than 1,200 registered voters earlier this month what they think about two pieces of legislation that will direct more state money to border wall construction and create a new state criminal offense for people suspected of crossing the border illegally. The latter led to a new lawsuit filed by three plaintiffs who are challenging the law's constitutionality and arguing it encroaches on federal law.

Pollsters asked voters whether they support or oppose "making it a state crime for an undocumented immigrant to be in Texas in most circumstances." The results showed support for this idea sitting at 56% — with 39% saying they strongly support it and 17% of respondents saying they somewhat support it. Opposition to this particular query registered at 33% among the voters (14% somewhat oppose, 19% strongly oppose). At least 11% said they did not know enough about this or had no opinion.

When the findings are broken down along party lines, though, the poll found 84% of Republican voters said they supported this proposal, while only 27% of Democratic respondents said they did. Opposition was higher among Democrats — with 59% saying they did not support it.

The question posed to the voters is tied to Senate Bill 4, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Monday at an event in Brownsville. The law, which is set to take effect next year on March 5, makes it a state crime to enter Texas illegally and gives state and local law enforcement the ability to arrest those who cross between ports of entry. SB 4 will also allow Texas police to effectively deport those who cross illegally through an order obtained by a state judge. Currently, that is a power solely reserved for federal authorities.

Border wall funding

Abbott also added his signature Monday afternoon to Senate Bill 3, a measure that will send $1.5 billion toward further construction of a border wall along the 1,200 mile Texas-Mexico border.

The pollsters asked voters if they support or oppose "increasing state funding for
constructing and/or repairing walls or physical barriers on the border between Texas and Mexico." Among the respondents, 61% said they supported increasing funding for wall construction, including 91% of Republicans. Meanwhile, opposition came in at 32%.

The survey done by YouGov happened from Dec. 1-10 and included interviews with 1,254 registered voters in the state.