LIVE: Governor Abbott to sign border security bills

Governor Greg Abbott will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to sign several "critical" border security bills that were passed during the 88th Legislative Session.

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Governor Greg Abbott will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to sign several "critical" border security bills that were passed during the 88th Legislative Session.

Abbott will be accompanied by Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw, Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, bill authors and sponsors, as well as other legislators and law enforcement officers.

While several bills the governor will sign fall under his broader priorities of ongoing border security efforts, the keynote legislation he called for during his State of the State address did not pass. The main border security proposal Abbott had mentioned was creating a “mandatory minimum jail sentence of at least 10 years for anyone caught smuggling illegal immigrants in Texas.”

Differences between the House and Senate versions of the smuggling bill were not worked out in the regular session. Now, it's one of Abbott's central calls for the first special session.

The press conference is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will be livestreamed in this article.