Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week ordered ten M113 armored personnel carriers to the state’s border with Mexico in response to an expected increase in illegal activity due to the end of Title 42 migrant expulsion procedures on Dec. 21.
“The personnel carriers are being trucked to security points along the border to enhance protection amid increasing cartel-driven criminal activity,” Abbott’s office said in a statement, reported Breitbart.
“The lifting of Title 42 later this month could lead to a massive influx of illegal immigrants, allowing criminals to further exploit gaps where federal authorities are inundated with migrant processing.”
Title 42, a public health order, allows for the quick expulsion of non-essential travelers, including illegal aliens. Emmet Sullivan, a Reagan-appointed judge, ordered its discontinuation.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez told Fox News, “With Title 42 in place, that’s really the only policy we have to sustain the situation we’re seeing on the border, but right now that’s hanging by a thread.”
“We’re going to have to deploy more state resources now to fill in those gaps amid the surge of illegal immigrants we’re expecting,” Olivarez added.
“The cartels and the criminals know now that with Title 42 gone, that’s just more money in their pockets because they’re going to take full advantage of the situation, exploit that, and profit off these illegal immigrants.”
550,000 Illegal Border-Crossers Over 2 Months
Some 206,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in November, and 410,000 in total for October and November in the nine Southern border sectors, according to Breitbart.
In these two months, there were additional 140,000 illegal immigrants who were classified as “got aways,” bringing the total to 550,000 illegal border-crossers for the two-month period.
This comes amid increasing reports of violence and suspicious events on the Texan border.
“Between Oct. 1 2021 and Nov. 8 2022, Texas National Guard Service Members have experienced 267 suspicious or violent events,” officials stated, according to Breitbart.
“These events include receipt of gunfire across the border, physical assaults, drone activity, lazing, surveillance, suspicious activity, threats of violence to the task force, and threats of violence to individuals.”
Concerns have been raised that there are insufficient federal measures in place to deal with the expected surge in illegal migration once Title 42 is lifted.
“We have not heard any plan out of the Biden administration for how they’re going to do the job without that authority because they simply refuse to use any other authorities, like expedited removal, in order to discourage people from illegally entering the country,” Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a written statement.
Abbott has sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying Texas will escalate border security measures by invoking a clause of the U.S. Constitution to “protect its own territory against invasion by the Mexican drug cartels” amid rampant illegal immigration.
“Your sustained dereliction of duty compels Texas to invoke the powers reserved in Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which represents ‘an acknowledgement of the States’ sovereign interest in protecting their borders,’” the Republican governor wrote.
“By opening our border to this record-breaking level of illegal immigration, you and your Administration are in violation of Article IV, § 4 of the U.S. Constitution.”
Abbott has also invoked “invasion clauses” due to illegal immigration from Mexico, allowing his administration to use the National Guard to repel illegal aliens, construct a border wall, and deploy gunboats.
Historically states have enjoyed little latitude in enforcing immigration rules, and Texas is now a pioneer in doing so.
Jack Phillips from The Epoch Times contributed to this report.