Gov. Abbott Declares That Border Crossings Are An ‘Invasion’
PHARR, TEXAS – JUNE 30: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks alongside former President Donald Trump during a tour to an unfinished section of the border wall on June 30, 2021 in Pharr, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
OAN’s Stephanie Stahl 5:26 PM – Thursday, September 21, 2023
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott declared an “invasion” at the southern border amid an ongoing increase in immigrant crossings.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, Abbott announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and local law enforcement agencies had been deployed to address the ongoing surge.
I officially declared an invasion at our border because of Biden's policies.
We deployed the Texas National Guard, DPS & local law enforcement.
We are building a border wall, razor wire & marine barriers.
In his post, Abbott included a letter sent to President Joe Biden last November, stating that the federal government is reportedly not adhering to the constitutional agreement to protect states from any “invasion.”
Abbott added that Texas has no choice but to “escalate our efforts to secure the state.”
Abbott has made it clear that he intends to ramp up efforts to turn away migrants who attempt to illegally enter the state of Texas via border crossings.
The Texas National Guard continues to turn back illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border between points of entry.
Abbott’s “invasion” declaration also comes one day after Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas issued an emergency declaration due to “the severe undocumented immigrant surge” into the city.
In a press release, Salinas said that the action “grants us the ability to request financial resources to provide the additional services caused by the influx of the undocumented immigrants.”
Eagle Pass, TX – Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. issued and signed emergency declaration due severe undocumented immigrant surge into the City of Eagle Pass, Texas. The state of disaster shall continue for a period of seven (7) days from the date of this declaration,September 19, 2023 pic.twitter.com/dfHJkWRVmV
The surge in Texas border crossings also comes amidst a legal battle between the U.S. government and the Lone Star State.
In July, the Department of Justice sued the state of Texas and Governor Abbott for allegedly violating the law by installing buoys in the Rio Grande without authorization.
The DOJ’s lawsuit cited the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899, which bars unauthorized construction in a navigable waterway,
The buoys are reportedly the centerpiece of Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s controversial program to deter illegal immigration. According to the DOJ, the floating wall blocks navigable waterways, threatens public safety, and violates treaties with Mexico.
The DOJ now wants Texas officials to remove the barriers at the state’s expense.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
