EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – “Texas continues to use all possible strategies to deter and repel illegal entry into our state,” Governor Greg Abbott said via his X account on Tuesday, July 2.
The quote was part of a post where Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard soldiers are in the process of constructing barriers that will be placed along the US/Mexico border in El Paso.
Source: Governor Greg Abbott X Account: @GregAbbott_TX
On Friday, July 5 our Border Report crews on both sides of the border reported several large piles of worn barbed wire along a half-mile stretch of the Rio Grande overlooking Juarez being taken down.
KTSM and Border Report have reached out to the Texas officials and Gov. Abbott’s office to ask if this represents a change of strategy or if it’s maintenance related.
We’re still waiting for their response.
Local political leaders on both sides of the isle, and immigrant advocates were asked about Abbott’s X post and the strategies he’s been deploying.
Executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Marisa Limon Garza, said there isn’t a return on the investments being made at the border by Abbott through Operation Lone Star.
“It’s unfortunate that we continue to see these tactics played out by Abbott and his administration here at the state level. We know that the amounts of money that are being put into Operation Lone Star are causing great harm to our region,” said Limon Garza. “We’re getting high speed chases, we’re getting harmful realities for our communities. We’re having to foot the bill in many ways at the county level for this unjust work.”
County Chair for the El Paso Republican Party, Jorge Gonzalez shared a statement with KTSM:
“Governor Abbott has to step in to protect El Pasoans, Texans and all Americans from the damage caused by the Biden administration.
Whoever is pulling the strings of puppet Biden continues to ignore existing immigration law, giving cartels the freedom to continue trafficking dangerous men, innocent children and drugs through our borders.”
Meanwhile, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, a Democrat, said that when migrants are forced to stop and become stuck in Juarez, they become easy prey for cartels, and their operations thrive, but when the immigration process is flowing, the “cartels do not function.”
Samaniego also said he was not surprised to learn of Abbott’s post, saying the state did not communicate with the county, or has ever tried to collaborate with local leaders to find better solutions for the borderland, but instead has other motivations for his actions.
“It has to be political, and it has to be him wanting to have relevance in the political party. And I can’t see anything that’s going to be helpful. The numbers are down, this would be a great opportunity to sort of recalibrate, try to figure out what’s best for our community. You know, being able to have discussions with the state government would be very, very favorable. Yet that’s not where we’re getting,” said Samaniego.
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