Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed a series of comprehensive measures to curb the escalating influx of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border. During an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Abbott declared that state law enforcement officers would have the authority to apprehend and detain unauthorized migrants, escalating tensions with the Biden Administration.
The Biden Administration has consistently taken legal action against Texas for its efforts to impede the migrant flow, asserting that immigration enforcement falls exclusively under federal jurisdiction. Texas has contested this position by installing both water and land-based barriers.
Despite a prior ruling allowing the presence of water-based barriers during the appeal process, an appeals court ordered their removal in the Rio Grande on Friday, marking a setback for the state in its ongoing legal battle.
In a Sunday interview with Fox News, Governor Abbott outlined plans to promptly implement new border control measures.
“Well, I’ll tell you a couple of things very interesting. For one, 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,” Abbott said.
“That said, what we’ve seen in our numbers in the state of Texas is because of the wall that we have built, because of these razor-wide barriers that we have built, Texas is now no longer the number one illegal entry point. It is the Tucson sector, the San Diego sector, and other states.”
“And Texas is causing the cartels to have to alter their routes, their routes where people are coming across the border illegally,” he added. “That said, Texas is having to step up and do even more to make sure that we deny illegal entry into the state of Texas.”
Abbott is set to sign a “new law in Texas, making it illegal to enter the state from another country without authorization and empowering every peace officer in Texas to arrest those entering illegally.”
The governor plans to sign this measure within the next two weeks, foreseeing potential tensions with the Biden Administration, which contends that such measures infringe on the Border Patrol’s responsibilities.
