EAGLE PASS, Texas (NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday unveiled a plan to expand border enforcement to deter migrants along the Texas-Mexico border.
It comes shortly after more than 12 Republican governors vowed their support for Texas’s mission and after Senators blocked the $118 billion national security package that included a bipartisan border deal announced earlier this week.
The group of local lawmakers received a briefing on the border security initiative as part of Operation Lone Star, the state’s $10 billion border security program. No Democrats were invited to the event.
Texas state Rep. Eddie Morales, Jr., a Democrat who is from Eagle Pass, told Border Report that most who are on the list have been endorsed for reelection by Abbott.
Morales criticized the briefing — the second that Abbott is holding in the span of four days at Shelby Park.
“Rather than the trip here, they need to be on the phone and communicating with their congressman, and with our U.S. senators and asking for the border bill to be passed up there in Congress,” Morales said.
Shelby Park has been the focal point of a tense standoff between federal agents and Texas law enforcement regarding border monitoring and protection responsibilities.
In December, Texas restricted the U.S. Border Patrol’s access to the park, accusing the Biden administration of not being tough enough on crossings.
Abbott touted the state’s efforts to reinforce border security by installing additional razor wire in Eagle Pass, in an attempt to block and deter illegal crossings, particularly in areas like Shelby Park. According to Abbott, illegal crossings in the park have plummeted.
Abbott refuses to back down, asserting Texas has the right to defend its border. He criticizes the Biden administration for what he views as its failure to fulfill its duty. Additionally, he has ordered his officers to continue to install razor wire along the border, despite criticism.
Critics argue this contradicts a Supreme Court ruling that allows federal border agents to remove such barriers to access migrants.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources told NewsNation that approximately 1,003,575 migrants have crossed into the U.S. so far this fiscal year. During the same period last year, border officials reported 923,446 migrant encounters along the border.
CBP reported the numbers included 19,833 Chinese nationals, the majority of whom crossed into the San Diego Sector. CBP reported 24,318 encounters with Chinese nationals in all of Fiscal Year 2023.
In Sierra Vista, Arizona, 14 Republican members of a House Natural Resources subcommittee will meet with local leaders to assess firsthand the impact of illegal immigration on federal lands.
Abbott’s office reports it has bused more than 100,000 migrants from the border to sanctuary cities such as New York, Chicago and Denver.