In a decisive response to the escalating crisis at the Texas-Mexico border, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared his commitment to enact a robust state law empowering all law enforcement officers in Texas to apprehend immigrants who enter the state unlawfully.
The announcement, made during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, December 3, 2023, reflects the governor’s determination to curb illegal immigration, which he attributes to the Biden Administration’s perceived lax border policies.
“The problem is extraordinarily bad. The numbers are high, and that is because Joe Biden continues to lay out the welcome mat welcoming illegal immigrants into the United States of America,” expressed Abbott, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
More Read
Last month, Texas Republicans forwarded Senate Bill 4 (SB4) to the governor for approval. If passed, SB4 would grant local police the authority to handle immigration enforcement, marking illegal border crossings as a state misdemeanor. The legislation, dubbed “the strongest border security bill” by state officials, would also empower judges to order immigrants to return to Mexico.
Abbott, addressing concerns over the surge in illegal crossings, emphasized, “That’s why Texas is having to step up and apprehend as many of these people as possible to make sure that they’re not posing a threat to our country. But this is a very serious existential threat to our country caused by Joe Biden, and that’s exactly why Texas is taking extraordinary steps to try to crack down on it.”
Citing data from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Yale University, House Republicans reported an estimated 16.8 to 29 million illegal migrants currently residing in the U.S. The figures indicate a significant influx during President Biden’s tenure, with approximately 3.8 million migrants entering the country, overwhelming U.S. Border Patrol authorities.
Fox News, citing border sources, reported encounters with nearly 475,000 migrants, including over 60,000 additional getaways, in the fiscal year. Alarmingly, individuals on the FBI terror watch list were reportedly among those attempting to cross the border.
In a move that sparked controversy, Abbott, in a reversal from the previous year, redirected tens of thousands of migrants to so-called sanctuary cities run by Democrat officials. Approximately 70,000 immigrants were transported to Democrat-run cities nationwide, including Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, Texas deployed deterrence buoys in the Rio Grande River to curb illegal immigration. Legal battles ensued as the Department of Justice argued the state unlawfully placed the buoys. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Biden administration, ordering the removal of the barriers. Abbott indicated that Texas would escalate the matter to the Supreme Court if unsuccessful in the next lower court challenge.
As Texas gears up for intensified immigration measures, the nation watches closely, anticipating the potential impact of the proposed legislation on the broader debate surrounding border security.
