Notes from the border
Recently I had the opportunity to once again visit the Texas-Mexico border. In my three visits over two years, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges our state is facing in terms of illegal immigration and border security. I am grateful to the DPS officers who gave us a glimpse into their daily activities and showed me exactly how the actions of the legislature are being put into practice.
Texas is taking substantial steps to combat this invasion, and make up for the Biden administration's inadequate response – or lack thereof. In this email, which will be long but, I hope, informative, I want to share the many efforts our state has taken to combat illegal border crossings.
Texas has deployed thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and state troopers to the border through Operation Lone Star and allocated over $5 billion to bolster our border security efforts and support our Border Patrol officers. This includes funding for physical barrier construction, a critical component in our efforts to secure the border, including floating barriers, razor wire, concertina wire fencing, and even temporary walls made with shipping containers. Notably, we've also legally designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, granting our law enforcement more tools to combat their criminal activities.
Texas has taken additional unprecedented strides to ensure the safety of Texans, such as:
Designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, empowering law enforcement with more tools to combat criminal activities
Taking aggressive action to aid border communities, including busing thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia
Passing laws to crack down on human trafficking and make it easier to prosecute human traffickers bringing people into Texas
Authorizing the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to return illegal immigrants to the border at ports of entry
Arresting and jailing criminals trespassing or committing other state crimes along the southern border
Enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl
Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis
Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants
Establishing a memorandum of understanding between the State of Texas and the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to enhance border security measures in their states that will prevent illegal immigration from Mexico to Texas
Creating DPS vehicle inspection checkpoints specifically targeting semi-trucks and other commercial motor vehicles that cross the border and potentially pose a danger on our roads
Additionally, a new Enhanced Criminal Trespass Prosecution Program began in June. Illegal aliens, traffickers, and drug smugglers attempting to breach barriers are now being charged with criminal trespass. This has led to a visible reduction in unauthorized entries. However, I recently learned from DPS that if migrants cross into public land, including parks or roads, they cannot be arrested because there is no state trespassing law in existence. Unfortunately, DPS has no authority to arrest these migrants if they are crossing into public land. This is a huge loophole that the cartels and coyotes know about and take advantage of regularly.
As Texas continues to find ways to stem the flow of human trafficking and deadly drugs like fentanyl into our state, our officers and prosecutors utilize every tool they can. As the cartels and their illegal alien cargo are faced with less and less easy access points, they turn to destroying property to gain access to our borders and riverbanks. When they cut or press down what is called “c-wire”, or break through barriers they can be charged with destruction of private property.
Texas is leading the nation in securing our border and addressing illegal immigration — but there is more work to be done. First and foremost we must focus on the critical component of physical barrier construction. As your state representative, I am committed to ensuring the safety and sovereignty of our state.
God’s children are not for sale.