BREAKING: Biden DOJ threatens to sue Texas over new border security laws

The new legislation, which is set to go into effect in March, would make the act of illegally crossing into Texas from a foreign nation a state crime, giving police the ability to make arrests and judges the ability to order deportations.

In a letter from the DOJ to Abbott's office obtained by the Houston Chronicle, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton warned that if the governor refuses to abandon the laws by January 3, "the United States will pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government."

The DOJ argued that because the Constitution gives Washington power over the national borders, Texas' laws "[intrude] into a field that is occupied by the federal government," and is thus unconstitutional.

In a statement following the passing of the laws, Gov. Abbott slammed President Biden's "deliberate inaction" on the crisis at the southern border, saying the federal government's failures have "left Texas to fend for itself."

"Today, I will sign three laws to better protect Texas—and America—from President Biden's border neglect," he added. "These laws will help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas, add additional funding to build more border wall, and crackdown on human smuggling."

At the time, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre decried the laws, claiming they "[do] not make the communities in Texas safer" and is "very much in line with what many Republicans like to do or tend to do which is demonize immigrants and also dehumanize immigrants."

This is a breaking story and will be updated.