President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused Abbott of signing a harsh immigration law in order to be in the running as a Republican vice presidential candidate.

The new law makes illegally entering the country a state crime, a misdemeanor. A peace officer, which is broadly defined and can include such people as local police officers and security officers of the state medical board, can inquire about a person’s citizenship and immigrant status if they think they have entered the U.S. illegally. If so, a magistrate can order them out of the country.