Greg Abbott Takes Stand on Asylum Seekers’ Risks at Mexico Border

(LibertySociety.com) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been aggressively fighting to protect his state from illegal migrants crossing the border who refuse to use the ports of entry. While illegal migration has always been a concern, the number of people seeking entrance into the United States has been at record levels since President Biden took office.

Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, utilizing law enforcement and members of the Texas National Guard to arrest criminals and seize deadly drugs like fentanyl. He has always urged people who are truly seeking asylum to come to the ports of entry and be processed by Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officials.

As the pandemic era Title 42 rule was set to end, Abbott deployed floating barriers in the Rio Grande and ordered the installation of razor wire at locations where illegal migrants frequently attempted to cross. The Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immediately opposed the action, giving various reasons they believed the barriers needed to be removed. DHS claimed that the floating barriers were impeding CBP and DHS agents from conducting operations and detaining migrants. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas in July for violating the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which prevents construction in navigable waterways.

Left-leaning media and activists have decried the floating barriers. Juanita Martinez, a resident of Eagle Pass, Texas, who also chairs the Democratic Party of Maverick County, said “It’s so inhumane to expose innocent migrants to this.” She was appalled at a July 24 letter that Governor Abbott sent to President Biden, where he said that the installation of the barriers was for the migrants’ protection. He told the president that “Nobody drowns on a bridge,” and that his policies are the reason migrants are risking their lives to cross into the country. Abbott and governors from other states met at the southern border on August 21 to observe and discuss the progress that has been made with Operation Lone Star.