Posted on 07/28/2021 6:07:12 AM PDT by bitt
Border authorities stopped 188,829 attempted crossings in June, which was the highest this year
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered the state's National Guard members to assist the Department of Public Safety (DPS) in arresting illegal immigrants at the US.-Mexico border who break state laws.
Abbott's order was included in a letter sent to Major Gen. Tracy R. Norris of the Texas Military Department.
The order expands on Abbott's June disaster declaration, which directed the DPS to enforce all federal and state criminal laws, including those on criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking. That declaration had allowed the use of all available state resources to assist state and local law enforcement in protecting Texans from "criminal activity and property damage."
"To respond to this disaster and secure the rule of law at our Southern border, more manpower is needed," Abbott wrote in the letter. "DPS needs help in arresting those who are violating state law. … I hereby order that the Texas National Guard assist DPS in enforcing Texas law by arresting lawbreakers at the border."
The order comes as the Biden administration tackles a surge in migration and illegal contraband at the border. Critics have blamed the surge on a rollback of Trump-era border policies and enforcement, while the Biden administration has blamed the Trump administration and "root causes" in Central America.
"President Biden's open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities," Abbott said in a statement last month.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) is urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to prioritize the health and safety of border agents and border communities amidst a COVID-19 surge in the Rio Grande Valley. The migrant surge has resulted in the temporary shutdown of Catholic Charities, nearly 70 border agents testing positive for COVID-19 in the RGV sector, 17 border agents testing positive for COVID-19 in the Laredo sector, and 233 hospital beds occupied in the local area. Additionally, 27% of the unaccompanied children deported this week tested positive for COVID-19 with Brownsville experiencing a 15% positivity rate. Border Patrol is also sending immigrants directly to the McAllen COVID-19 testing site.
The high positivity rates and NGO shutdowns come as the Rio Grande Valley has seen a rush of migrants, a 478% increase in encounters in June 2021 compared to June 2020. This past week alone saw nearly 20,000 encounters in the Rio Grande Valley, adding to the over 1,000,000 total encounters thus far this year and 330,000 in the Rio Grande Valley sector
And after the arrests are they also ordered to assist in the release?
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