As the Biden administration ignores U.S. immigration law in the face of a historic surge in illegal migration, Texas has begun constructing its own sections of border wall.
On Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state officials held a press conference in Rio Grande City to announce the state’s construction of its own border wall, which had actually begun earlier in the week. “Texas is taking what truly is unprecedented action,” Abbott stated. “A state to build a wall on our border, to safeguard the sovereignty of our state and of our nation.”
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who also attended, noted that by building the wall, the state was “sending a message … to the federal government that if you’re not going to do your job, Texas will.”
At the time of the press conference, 880 feet of border wall had already been built, with that particular section of wall expected to ultimately stretch two miles. Altogether, Texas has appropriated $1.05 billion to border-wall construction, enough to build between 31 and 183 miles of wall, depending on the exact specifications. According to Governor Abbott, since Texas already owns land along the U.S.–Mexico border, construction will be relatively inexpensive.
Texas’s border-wall efforts have been several months in the making. In June, Abbott announced a $250 million “down payment” on wall construction. Three months later, he signed a $1.88 billion border-security bill that devoted an additional $750 million to the wall. Texas has also raised $54 million in private donations for the border wall.
Texas Taking the Lead on Border Security
Texas’ wall construction is only one example of the state’s border-security efforts. Abbott has signed multiple bills this year enabling his state to crack down on illegal migration, including the historic $1.88 billion border-security bill mentioned above, along with a bill making it easier to prosecute human smugglers.
Additionally, Texas has launched an unprecedented effort to enforce state and federal immigration laws, going above and beyond its pre-Biden border efforts. In March, Abbott initiated “Operation Lone Star,” surging state law-enforcement personnel and resources to the border with Mexico. In June, the governor expanded this operation, giving state Department of Public Safety troopers authority to arrest and charge illegal migrants. In October, for the first time ever, he gave National Guard troops the same law-enforcement authority, and on Monday, Abbott released an additional $38.4 million to fund Operation Lone Star.
By the beginning of December, Texas law-enforcement officials had arrested over 165,000 illegal migrants.
Texas has also taken the lead at responding to individual migration surges, including at Del Rio in September and Eagle Pass in October. During the latter incident, the state used shipping containers to build a “makeshift border barrier” in order to stop a migrant caravan.
Texas’s border operations have not been without missteps. Abbott’s Republican primary challengers have criticized him for not going far enough, considering the unprecedented migration surge. Additionally, the state reportedly threatened to withdraw resources from counties where citizen “militias” were attempting to help secure the border. Nonetheless, Texas’s efforts in securing the U.S.–Mexico border are unprecedented for a state.
Border Surge Intensifies
However, the Biden border crisis also is unprecedented. In November, Border Patrol agents apprehended 173,000 illegals — 141-percent higher than the previous November — continuing a year of record high numbers. In the sector where Texas’s border-wall construction has begun, the migration crisis has been especially serious, with 47,710 apprehensions, or a 175-percent increase from the previous year.
Overall, Biden is on track to admit nearly two million illegal aliens to the United States in 2021, the highest number in U.S. history. Additionally, the United States is experiencing the highest rate of migration since 1910.
The migration crisis has not been confined to illegal migration. For example, the Biden administration has resettled 40,000 Afghan refugees in the country since August, despite Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s admission that the United States did not fully vet them. Additionally, the DHS is taking steps to increase legal immigration, including its recent approval of 20,000 additional foreign worker visas. Under these circumstances, Texas is taking appropriate action to secure the nation’s border and sovereignty.
The Biden administration might be taking notice. On Monday, the DHS announced it would make repairs and fill in some gaps to the border wall that former President Donald Trump had built. However, such action is too little, too late amid the migration crisis.
Florida Combats Illegal Migration
Although Texas has taken the most visible response to the migration crisis, it is not the only state to have taken bold action.
Despite not sharing a border with Mexico, Florida combating illegal migration. On December 10, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state Department of Children and Families had issued an emergency rule prohibiting the issuing or renewal of licenses for entities that house illegal minors.
In the same announcement, DeSantis unveiled six legislative proposals to crack down on illegal migration in Florida, and he also formally requested $8 million from the legislature to relocate illegals out of state.
“We have a responsibility to stand up for the rule of law, we have a responsibility to the Constitution, and we have a responsibility to stand up against an administration that has decided they don’t want to have a secure border,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis’ announcements follow a September executive order banning state agencies from facilitating illegal migration into Florida. Additionally, the governor spearheaded an anti-sanctuary city law in 2019, along with an E-Verify law in 2020. DeSantis — along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — had previously argued for challenging pro-migration Supreme Court precedents.
DeSantis’ and Abbott’s actions have clear grounding in the U.S. Constitution. Article IV, Section 4 requires the federal government to “protect each [state] against Invasion.” With the Biden administration failing to do such, the states are empowered to defend themselves.
It is encouraging to see Texas, Florida, and other states stand up to the Biden administration’s subversive mass-migration agenda. However, they would be wise to take even stronger actions to secure the border and enforce the Constitution.
