Texas Offers to Build Border Wall as Crisis Continues
Texas officials for months have been begging the Biden Administration for help as migrants overwhelm Border Patrol agents. This week, desperate lawmakers authorized $250 million as a “down payment” for border wall construction in Texas.
“While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), who plans to solicit public donations to help fund the wall.
In March, Texas deployed 500 National Guard troops and 1,200 state police officers to assist Border Patrol agents and the 3,600 National Guard troops already stationed there. At the time, migrant apprehensions since President Joe Biden’s inauguration had already eclipsed totals for 2020.
“In response to the federal government’s neglect of all the people who live along the border, the people who are facing the consequences of the spread of drugs like fentanyl, Texas is stepping up and doing more than any other state ever has done to respond to these challenges along the border,” said Abbott.
Since January, Border Patrol Agents have seized 95 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl (enough to kill 21 million people) compared to a total of 11 pounds during 2020.
In addition to the surge in illicit drugs, Biden’s immigration policies have also led to “increased illegal crossings, damage to Texans’ crops and property, larger rates of human trafficking and smuggling,” and “a dangerous escalation in cartel violence,” reads a letter from Abbott and other top lawmakers to Bryan Collier, executive director of the state’s Department of Criminal Justice.
According to the letter, the $250 million down payment will go towards the “design and construction of physical barriers on voluntarily donated private and public lands that border this state and Mexico.” The money will be transferred to a disaster fund before it is moved to the Texas Facilities Commission for border wall construction. Last week, Abbott directed the commission to hire a project manager to start drafting plans for wall construction.
As Texas moves forward with plans to resume construction, Abbott has demanded the Biden Administration return any property or land that they seized when they paused border wall construction in January. He is also asking other states to help if they can.
Last Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) said he would send law enforcement officials from the Sunshine State to assist Border Patrol agents in Texas and Arizona.
“The situation right now is far more dire and far more dangerous than it has ever been during the course of at least this century – maybe ever before – and that’s because of these numbers that you heard about people coming across the border but also the danger, and the way that the cartels and the smugglers are operating,” warns Abbott. “This crisis is a result of President Biden’s open border policies…It invites illegal immigration and is creating a humanitarian crisis in Texas right now that will grow increasingly worse by the day.”
May was the busiest month at the border so far this year, with roughly 180,000 encounters made. If the present situation continues, experts from the Government Accountability Office predict a need for military support at the border for three or more years.
Sources:
Texas governor says state will provide $250 million ‘down payment’ for border wall
Texas governor: State, crowdsourcing will fund border wall
Greg Abbott Demands Biden Return Border Wall Land Seized by Federal Government
Oh! Oh!
I’ve seen this episode before! Great entertainment.
Wait, I thought Mexico was going to pay for this wall that you are now just talking about building, what happened?
Good for Texas! BUILD THAT BORDER WALL HIGH AND DEEP SO NONE OF THOSE RIFRAFF CAN GET INTO OUR NATION!!
Any imbecile thinking that old coot in our White House even remembers there is a Border issue is definitely part of the problem in our Country! What problem? That of a general public that just isn’t as smart as they used to be. Perhaps it is all the recreational pothead smoking or whatever, but Americans are more airheaded than they used to be!
My suggestion to all the Governors of not only Texas, but Arizona, California, etc.: IGNORE THE OLD COOT IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND BUILD YOUR OWN UNCLIMBABLE BORDER WALL TO KEEP OUT THE VERMIN FROM ENTERING OUR NATION! Do whatever it takes to BUILD THAT BORDER WALL, but do it NOW!!
Don’t worry about biddyboy. He’s too busy looking and groping the pretty young things in the White House, along with Hunter! They are the new Dynamic Demented Duo and the last thing on their minds is anything to do with the Border situation! Besides they assigned Barbie Doll Harris to take care of that issue. As usual, anything assigned to a democrat is never fixed and biddy and Barbie Doll Harris won’t disappoint!
Micala.
Trump promised to have this fixed already and Mexico was supposed to put for it.
Now, What were you saying about democratic lawmakers not fixing anything?
Put a citizen’s patrol to guard the fence
And Abbott wants to crowd-fund it too… but if it’s not actually an officil state or federal project, then they have no authority to take the property by eminent domain… Which means it’s just like Trump’s wall – they’ll gather up a bunch of money, which will get paid to a few major donors with the right connections, and “The Great Wall of Grift” will gradually fade from view, until it gets killed by the next Governor of Texas.