Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during the Houston Region Business Coalition's monthly meeting on October 27, 2021 in Houston, Texas.
Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced that a portion of the $3 billion in funding he approved in September for border security will be used to install miles of physical barriers and anti-personnel wire at crossings along the Texas border to discourage migrants from entering the state.
In a series of television appearances — which included a visit to Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show Wednesday — the Republican leader said the state is "throwing everything it possibly can" to deter migrants from crossing the border. These efforts include laying razor wire and finishing sections of the border wall started by former President Donald Trump. Abbott added a segment has already begun construction and will be completed within the next two months.
In addition, Abbott said border patrol officers are currently placing large, metal shipping containers at low-water areas in the Rio Grande to block migrants from crossing.
"Texas is investing $3 billion of Texas taxpayer money doing the federal government's job," Abbott told Fox News reporter Maria Bartiromo Monday. "What we're doing with that money is we have now more 6,500 troopers and officers down on the border especially focused right now on trying to prevent these caravans from coming across the border."
Greg Abbott says he's spending $3 billion taxpayer dollars setting razor wire along the border and building the border wall -- some of which will be up "as soon as two months from now" pic.twitter.com/7y9jfmYD7o
Appearing on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Abbott again blamed the Biden Administration for the escalating situation at the border and said he is doing the federal government's job by implementing these measures. He also told the conservative commentator that any migrants who bypass the blockades will be jailed for criminal trespassing—a controversial tactic that has led to the unlawful imprisonment of hundreds of migrants without charges in recent months.
"The Biden Administration is actively encouraging this which is in contrast to what the Trump Administration did," Abbott told Carlson. "If they [migrants] do come across the border, The National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety are authorized to arrest any of these people who make it through our blockade efforts and put them in jail for violating a crime of criminal trespassing in the state of Texas."
Texas continues to protect the nation. Thousands of Texas National Guard & Texas Dept. of Public Safety troops are deployed at our southern border. Miles of razor wire & large shipping containers are being used as barriers. We're fixing Biden's border crisis. pic.twitter.com/5tYddrkY6r
Abbott's latest border efforts are part of "Operation Lone Star," a program launched in March by the governor to enhance border security that has led to the seizure of illegal drugs and arrests of thousands of people, according to NBC News. Some Democratic members of Congress, including Rep. Joaquin Castro, are demanding an investigation of the operation, calling it "unconstitutional" and an "effort to establish a separate state immigration policy."
In September, Abbott signed a series of bills increasing funding for border defense. Roughly $750 million of the bill be spent on construction of a "border barrier," according to James Barragán with the Texas Tribune. That plan could include temporary chain fences as well as concrete barriers. The cost of these measures comes in addition to $250 million the state used as "down payment" for the wall over the summer.
Trump's border wall was a major promise during his campaign for presidency in 2016, though it was never completed. Trump had also promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but so far it has been paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
Last month, Abbott and nine other Republican governors also unveiled a 10-point plan they said will end the border security crisis. Part of plan involves "properly resourcing" the border by deploying more National Guard troops and ending the Biden Administration's "catch and release" program.
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Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time.