Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has proclaimed an “invasion” at the southern border, blaming the Mexican drug gangs for it.
This announcement comes as Abbott adopts a stern stance against the deteriorating security situation and the increase in illegal activity from outside the country.
“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. We are also repelling migrants,” Governor Abbott made the announcement on Thursday.
After the Biden administration dismantled the implanted razor wires, Abbott stated in a tweet that Texas will not give up easily and would keep installing additional razor wire and fortifying the border to deter unauthorized crossings.
The razor wires were cut on Wednesday by the Biden administration, “opening the floodgates to illegal immigrants.”
U.S. data are used to back Abbott’s claim. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), since President Joe Biden entered office on January 20, 2021, the number of illegal immigrants captured at the U.S.-Mexico border has increased.
1.73 million persons were detained by CBP at the southwest border in the fiscal year 2021, which was a record high since 2006. Alarmingly, 2.38 million persons were detained by CBP at the southwest border in fiscal year 2022, the most since 1993. CBP has so far detained 1.97 million people for the year 2023.
Abbott charged the Biden administration with breaking the US Constitution by failing to defend the States against invasion as guaranteed in Article IV, Section 4, in a letter to President Biden, US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, and US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Abbott highlighted the US Constitution’s Article I, Section 10, Clause 3, which grants the State of Texas the right to defend its own territory from invasion.
He also emphasized the disastrous effects of the border issue on neighborhood communities, such as the rise of deadly fentanyl, which is now the biggest cause of mortality for people between the ages of 18 and 45, and the entry of human traffickers and bailouts.
Abbott’s announcement stirred mixed responses. Others have condemned him for using aggressive words and possibly exacerbating the situation at the border, while some have complimented him for speaking out against the Biden administration’s passivity.
