The duty to control immigration falls on the federal government. It is a duty, however, that has not been upheld. Estimates on the number of illegal aliens in the United States range from 12 million to as high as 20 million. Approximately 2 million illegal aliens reside in Texas.

Given the failure of the federal government to act, the State of Texas experiences significant social and fiscal costs as a result of illegal immigration. Therefore, a state approach to limit these costs and close incentives for illegal aliens to come to Texas is necessary.

Following are some of the primary policy goals that Members of the Texas Conservative Coalition will fight to enact in the 81st Texas Legislature:

• Deploy the Texas State Guard to the Border.
• Deny bail to illegal aliens and seize assets if necessary to pay court costs.
• Place citizenship status on all Driver's Licenses.
• End "sanctuary" cities.
• Mandate 287g agreements.
• Deny punitive damages to illegal aliens.
• Impose criminal penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.
• Verify citizenship or legal residency for benefits.
• Verify United States citizenship of all voters.

For more information background and recommendations, please see "State Approaches to Illegal Immigration", the final report of the Illegal Immigration Task Force hosted by the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute in 2006. Click here for full report (PDF format). This version was updated in June 2007, following the 80th Texas Legislature.