A number of Republican dominated states in the United States have recently promoted local legislation to give their law enforcement officers greater authority to combat illegal immigrants. Analysts believe that such local legislation, like the new Texas law, which has been subject to a "unconstitutional" lawsuit, faces legal challenges.

△ On April 19 local time, the border between the United States and Mexico

Immigration is a hot topic in this year's US presidential election and congressional re-election, as well as one of the focuses of the struggle between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In February this year, U.S. President Joseph Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the southern border of the United States on the same day to win the support of voters on the immigration issue and "dump the pot" with each other.

On April 30, Kevin Stitt, governor of Oklahoma State in the central part of the United States, signed a bill that includes a new crime of illegal residence against immigrants, according to which illegal immigrants can be sentenced to up to two years' imprisonment. The bill is scheduled to enter into force on July 1. The first offence is a misdemeanor and the second is a felony. Oklahoma Republicans once again denounced the federal government's "failure" in dealing with immigration.

Previously, Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, signed a state law aimed at combating illegal immigration last December, giving Texas law enforcement officers the power to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. The United States Department of Justice accused the state of unconstitutional laws, and the case is currently being heard by the Federal Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Several Republican governors expressed support for Texas and accused the federal government of not doing enough in relevant law enforcement. According to the Associated Press on April 30, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also signed a bill aimed at combating illegal immigrants, giving law enforcement officers in the state more space to identify, detain and expel illegal immigrants. Another plan to increase the punishment of illegal immigrants' violent crimes is in the pipeline.

In addition, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill in April, which is similar to the new Texas law on combating illegal immigration in some aspects; Louisiana and Idaho are promoting similar initiatives; Georgia legislators passed bills to strengthen the identification of illegal immigrants; Florida Governor Ron De Santis signed a bill in March to increase the punishment of illegal immigrants for serious crimes and driving without a license.

Kelly Stump, the elected president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that many of the above state laws will almost certainly face legal challenges, because immigration is a federal issue. The current situation can be described as "chaos", and the system has been "broken".