Mirroring laws passed by Florida, Georgia, New York, and others, House Bill 1076 criminalizes squatting in a model attempt to ensure that the private property rights of Texans are protected from bad actors (Salmonsen, 2024). In a time when Texas is one of the top three states in which squatters are occupying homes—with “an estimated 475 homes that had been occupied by squatters” concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (Rahman, 2024)—HB 1076, if passed, would be a major victory in the fight to protect the private property rights of Texans. The specificity of the bill ensures that there is no ambiguity in the law and closes any loopholes that bad actors have taken advantage of in the past. By doing so, HB 1076 aims to secure one of the most sacred of all rights: the right to property.
STATE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ISN’T A POLICY PREFERENCE: It’s a Core Function of Sovereignty, Public Safety, and National Security
Protects Citizenship: Citizenship is the covenant that binds a political community, defining rights, duties, and the consent to self-government. Immigration enforcement maintains the legal boundary between members and non-members. When unlawful entry and presence are left unregulated at scale, that boundary erodes. Membership is no longer determined by law and allegiance, but by physical access...