Gov. Abbott takes action to secure US-Mexico border ahead of Title 42 expiration: ‘More to come’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state is taking border security into its own hands after pleas to the Biden administration have gone unanswered.

In a video shared to Twitter late Monday evening, the Republican governor showed that border officials in Brownsville, Texas, laid barbed wiring across a gap in the border that was previously exposed for migrants seeking entry from Mexico into the United States.

“This is one thing Texas is doing to secure the border,” Abbott wrote. “This is the area near Brownsville where migrants were crossing in large numbers a few days ago.”

In the video, the person carrying the camera and a flashlight walks briskly along the border and pans over to show hundreds of feet of the spiral wiring. In some areas, the wiring is stacked to create a partition several feet tall.

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Abbott added: “We now have it wired shut. Other areas will surface for crossing. We will wire them shut also.”

“More to come,” the Texas governor promised. 

Barbed wire appears to be only a minor deterrent to those wishing to enter the U.S. illegally. Photos and videos at different areas of the border show migrants crossing barbed wiring by using blankets and clothing to cover sharp edges.

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The barbed barricade comes as the Biden administration has failed to deliver congressional funds approved under the Trump administration to bolster border security.

Several border states have complained the federal government has also failed to assist them in closing critical gaps in areas along the border.

Border crossings have escalated in recent weeks and migrants have been gathering by the thousands near different sections of the wall, including in El Paso, as they wait for Title 42 to expire on Thursday.

Title 42 is a public health order signed under former President Donald Trump in 2020 and its expiration is expected to give way to a surge of migrants.

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The order gave border officials the authority to deny or relocate migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House most recently said it would veto a border enforcement bill from the Republican House majority, which would restrict asylum requests and construct a physical border wall.

“Biden is against border security laws,” Abbott also tweeted Monday.

He added: “For the last 2 years, #OperationLoneStar has helped fill the dangerous gaps created by Biden’s open border policies. Biden has stopped or repealed every effective border security strategy.”

“As he ends Title 42 Thursday, Texas will continue our historic response to this crisis,” the Texas Republican said.

 

In addition to the number of migrants crossing the border, Abbott and Republicans in border states have railed against the prevalence of deadly fentanyl, which primarily makes its way into the U.S. from Mexico.

Over 385 million deadly doses have been seized by border officials over the last two years alone under Texas’ Operation Lone Star.