Governor Greg Abbott today held a roundtable discussion with local law enforcement in Midland about the ongoing crisis at the southern border and its reverberating impact in communities throughout Texas. The Governor was joined by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw, Midland County Judge Terry Johnson, Midland County Sheriff David Criner, and law enforcement representatives from Upton, Ector, Tom Green, Dawson, Martin, Howard, and Andrews counties.During the discussion, Governor Abbott thanked local law enforcement for keeping Texans safe and offered his support in their efforts to mitigate the impact of the border crisis in their communities. Sheriffs thanked the state for being proactive and for coming up with innovative ideas to address this ongoing crisis in the federal government’s absence.
“The Biden administration’s border crisis doesn’t just affect Texans living along the border; it’s being felt by communities throughout Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “With an uptick in deadly drugs like fentanyl, dangerous gang activity, and human trafficking across our state, the State of Texas continues to work closely with local law enforcement to solve these challenges. Texas’ unprecedented response to secure the border and combat the crisis would not be possible without local law enforcement partners here in West Texas and across the state, and we continue to ensure they have the resources needed to keep Texans safe.”
Governor Abbott has taken significant action to secure the border in the wake of the federal government’s inaction. Those actions include:
- Signing laws that provide $3 billion in funding for Texas’ border security efforts
- Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers
- Creating a system to arrest and jail illegal migrants trespassing or committing other state crimes in Texas
- Signing a budget authorization to build the border wall in Texas
- Signing a law to make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas
- Signing 9 laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas
- Signing a law enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl
- Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis
- Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants
- Taking legal action to enforce the Remain in Mexico and Title 42 policies in Texas
Source: gov.texas.gov
