HB 800 by Guillen: Border Security

HB 800 ultimately increases the criminal penalties and establishes 10-year mandatory minimums for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons, operation of a stash house, or evading arrest or detention. Largely a consequence of the ongoing rampant issues along the Texas-Mexico border and in the absence of effective action by the federal government, HB 800 seeks to deter such activity with severe penalties. Though TFR ultimately supports this bill we implore Texas lawmakers to ensure appropriate transparency and accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure an efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars. It is possible that with increased penalties comes increased arrests for such activity which in turn will only further burden our criminal justice system.