Cleaning up the president’s mess …
With more and more illegals effortlessly crossing the border via the Rio Grande, the Republican governor announced Thursday in Del Rio that the Lone Star State will clean up the mess that Biden – who refuses to take ownership or control of the crisis – has made.
“The influx across the border is out of control, and the Biden Administration has shown that is not going to step up and do its job,” Abbott told Breitbart Texas after making his announcement. “And amidst reports of even more people coming in across the border, we know we have to step up and do more.”
Breitbart Texas reported that Del Rio Sector agents apprehended 27,890 migrants – a 1,118% jump from last May, when then-President Donald Trump was cracking down on illegal immigration and building the border wall.
“The reason why we are here [Del Rio] is because of the massive increase,” Abbott told Breitbart. “[Border crossings used to be highly] concentrated in the Rio Grande Valley, [but] now, you know, we’re upstream from the Rio Grande Valley in the Del Rio Sector and the Del Rio Sector is suffering from some of the largest increases.”
Getting worse under Biden
It was also noted by the governor that elected and law enforcement officials – along with local residents close to the border – are telling him about illegal activities they have never before witnessed.
“They’re seeing a lot of very bad dangerous people come across the border – people that they are afraid of encountering, people who are causing damage to their fences, their livestock, their crops, their neighborhoods and their homes,” Abbot shared. “Bad things are happening around here, and so they need help from the state to help them address this exploding crisis.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a 21-year high in apprehended migrants (180,000) was reached in May – those caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally over the southern border.
This was quickly followed by Abbott taking charge of the situation – apart from the Biden administration – with his disaster declaration last month.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott stated on June 1.
I'm so grateful that Governor Abbott is saying that he is going to finish the wall. This is something that we, as Texans, have wanted … and was needed for a very long time. When we have 16,000 children in custody who have no place to go [and] were brought over by drug traffickers and sex traffickers, this is not a good scenario." "[Texas citizens along the border] have been begging for security for their families. They cannot even allow their children to go to a playground in their communities because of the … thousands of people [entering the U.S. illegally]. I think that the people not only in Texas but … across the country are now very aware of the open border and the fallout that comes with it." Cathie Adams, former chair |
Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures …
Things have gotten so out of control at the border that Abbott said officials are being forced to take things into their own hands by using the authority they have from the State of Emergency declaration he made recently to target the surge of illegal border crossings.
“What people have seen in videos across the country seems to be the Biden Administration welcoming these people to the United States, [but] we won’t be sending that message,” the conservative leader assured before warning would-be lawbreakers, according to Breitbart. “If you come to Texas, you’re subject to being arrested – you’re not going to have a pathway to roam the country. You’re going to have a pathway directly into a jail cell.”
This means no more free passes across the border for illegals – who will now see Texas authorities enforcing the law, unlike federal officials under Biden turning a blind eye to illegal activity.
“We want to be very aggressive in working with local officials and begin making mass arrests,” Abbott explained. “In working in collaboration with a large number of counties – that means we’re going to be arresting a lot more people.”
More apprehensions, more jails
In order to accommodate the skyrocketing influx of illegal immigrants into Texas originally spurred by Biden’s invitation for illegals to come into the country that was repeated during his presidential campaign, Abbott stressed that many more new jails will be needed and that the new barriers are serving two purposes, with physical deterrence being the first.
“[The second function of the newly built boundaries is] if they [migrants] move or interfere with that barrier, they have committed several crimes,” the state’s top authority informed while listing off some offences at the top of the list, including criminal mischief, vandalism of state property or local government property, and criminal trespass.
Now, under Texas’ State of Emergency declaration, migrants will be facing penalties raised by one level for illegally breaking into the country.
“That means up to 180 days in jail – [while] something that may be a Class B misdemeanor right now, turned into a class A misdemeanor – and so they can get into a lot of trouble,” Abbott pointed out. “There’s even potential for state jail felonies for some of these crimes, so they can wind up in jail for a long time.”
In addition to more than 1,000 jail cells set aside to incarcerate arrested border crossers, the state’s leader impressed that more space is being allocated as state and local officials designate more holding facilities, which could include soft-sided structures.
Not just Texas
Abbott is partnering with Gov. Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.) to crack down in illegal immigration, with both urging governors from coast to coast to help fight the border crisis that is detrimentally affecting every state.
“With your help, we can apprehend more of these perpetrators of state and federal crimes before they can cause problems in your state,” Abbott and Ducey implored, according to Breitbart. “Texas and Arizona have stepped up to secure the border in the federal government’s absence, and now, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact gives your state a chance to stand strong with us.”
The Texas governor is confident that many states will join in the fight to protect the southern border.
“[I foresee a] high level of participation [because] the immigration issue and the border issue is not just the number one issue of Texas – it’s the number one issue in America – and so all of these other governors, they hear the same concerns that we hear about in Texas,” Abbott predicted. “Texas already has done more than any other state to secure the border, but we know that more has to be done – and we’re stepping up to undertake an unprecedented response to the border crisis caused by the federal government.”
He followed his prediction with a promise and a warning.
“In the end, only the federal government and Congress can fix this, but as it stands right now, the state of Texas is going to step up, and we’re going to start making arrests – sending a message to anybody thinking about coming here,” Abbott vowed before concluding with an assurance. “You’re not going to get a free pass to the U.S. They’re getting a straight pass to a jail cell.”
6/14/2021 - Sidebar added.
