It was still dark when Alexis Elicerio left the Rio Grande Valley at 3 a.m. to drive to Austin.
The day had scarcely begun by the time Elicerio and 10 others from San Juan arrived at the Capitol to speak directly to lawmakers about a border security bill — one that would create a state unit of officers and civilians empowered to “deter and repel” and arrest migrants if they were seen illegally crossing the border, then return them to Mexico.
