Abbott to Texas officials: 'You must continue to keep Texans and Americans safe and protect against an invasion of the southern border'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas Military Department (TMD) to expand their efforts to combat the growing illegal immigration along the border.

On  Nov. 16, Abbott wrote a letter addressed to DPS Director Steve McCraw and TMD Adjutant General Thomas Suelzer highlighting the need for the Operation Lone Star partners to defend Texas against the “invasion” of America's southern border. Under the Biden administration, DPS troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers — through Operation Lone Star — have repelled and turned back historic numbers of immigrants trying to cross the border illegally. They have arrested transnational criminals and criminal trespassers, and have seized enough deadly fentanyl to millions of people.

“Until Congress acts or the Biden administration does its constitutionally required job, Texas guardsmen and troopers must bear the burden of securing the border,” Abbott said in the letter. “You must continue to keep Texans and Americans safe and protect against an invasion of the southern border. I order you to use all resources and tools available to repel immigrants from attempting to cross illegally, arrest those who cross illegally and return them to the border and arrest criminals who violate Texas law.”

Abbott also sent a letter on Nov. 14 to Texas county judges explaining his executive order that allows the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions to authorize the unprecedented actions Texas is taking to secure the border amid an all-time record for illegal immigration. This includes spending more than $4 billion on border security and public safety measures. The Nov. 14 letter also calls for Congress to reimburse the state of Texas for the billions of dollars used to keep Texans safe amid the Biden administration, as well as for hearings for federal officials who have not upheld the nation's immigration laws.

Along with a spike in illegal immigration, the crisis at the border has brought with it an increase in other crimes related to cartel criminal enterprise. The West RGV News reported that generational south Texas rancher, Whit Jones III, noted that immediately following the Biden administration rollback of former President Donald Trump era policies, he has seen a “significant increase” of human trafficking and smuggling.

Abbott has taken many actions to secure the border during the Biden administration, including signing 15 laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas, according to a press release.