Republican state Sen. Tan Parker’s Senate Bill 36 passed Thursday in a 26-4 vote. The bill would create a homeland security office in the state Department of Public Safety to address illegal immigration, crime, and other security concerns. It will now move to the House.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) celebrated the news in a statement.
“Whether it is dealing with border security, emergency preparedness, or protecting critical infrastructure, the Texas Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement statewide deal with a wide array of homeland security challenges,” Patrick said. “By creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, we can centralize vital homeland security operations within DPS, resulting in a better prepared and protected Texas. The Senate and I prioritized SB 36 because keeping Texas safe is one of our top priorities. I thank Sen. Parker for his leadership on this key legislation to help our state face any future threats head-on.”
Advocates argued the bill is necessary to centralize and streamline DPS’s functions. Although border crossings have slowed dramatically in the past few months after reaching historic highs during the Biden administration, Parker argued that Texas still needs a homeland security office because it would “safeguard our border, our residents, and our economic engines.”
“It strikes the right balance between providing for our security and respecting the roles of our local and federal partners,” the lawmaker said, according to the Texas Tribune.
ABBOT URGED TO CREATE TEXAS HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICE TO ADDRESS BORDER CRISIS
The Senate’s passage of SB 36 followed calls from local officials last year for Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) to issue an emergency legislative session to create a state version of the DHS. At the time, Texas was inundated with a wave of illegal immigration. Officials said the new department was necessary to take pressure off local law enforcement struggling to handle the border surge, which they said led to a rise in crime.
“Words cannot adequately describe the conditions on the ground for those of us living in border communities and major cities where cartel-connected gun violence, break-ins, robberies, and violent sexual crimes continually increase,” Judge John Paul Schuster, Sheriff Brad Coe, and attorney Brent Smith, all of Kinney County, Texas, said in a letter to Abbott. “We as Texans no longer feel safe in our own homes, driving on our streets, or walking in our parks.”
