As more migrants cross the Mexico-U.S. border each day, Americans have felt that it is their devoir to defend their country. While the Biden Administration does little to prevent the illegal crossing of these migrants, Texas State Governor Greg Abbott has pushed to protect Shelby Park, a major illegal crossing point in Eagle Pass, a southern Texas town bordering Mexico. As of last week (January 21-28, 2024), the Supreme Court has granted federal immigration agents permission to remove the wire Texas officials had installed. Along a 2.5 mile stretch on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, layers of razor wire were set up to prevent immigrants from entering the U.S. unlawfully.
Since the 1980s, the U.S. has struggled with illegal immigration from multiple points on the Mexico-U.S. border. Until recently, the numbers began to surge. “According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, federal agents encountered roughly 2.5 million migrants at the southern (Mexico-U.S.) border in 2023,” NPR.org reported. Migrants, many undocumented, come from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. A percentage also originates from Latin America, Russia, China, Africa, and the Middle East, in hopes of passing through Mexico into the United States. The issue lies not in the fact that many claim to “seek asylum” but that they are undocumented. There are no papers that state where they truly come from, who their family is, who they bring, and most importantly, if they have a criminal background. Without knowledge of possible criminal behavior in the past, migrants allowed in the United States by Border Control could possibly intend on harming Americans on U.S. soil.
“What you should do is simple: enforce the law and protect the border,” said Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton in a letter to President Biden and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, in his efforts to utilize the Texas National Guard. Using the Texas National Guard and armed Texas State Employees, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has used these forces to deny federal Border Patrol from entering Shelby Park. With Border Patrol removing the razor wire, Abbott has responded by replacing what was taken, and adding more than was placed originally. This does not stop immigrants from crossing, crawling under the protective wire and cutting themselves in the process.
Launched in March of 2021, Operation Lone Star was established by Governor Abbott in response to the alarming rise in illegal immigration. A joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, it also prevents the smuggling of illegal substances: drugs, weapons, and other criminal behavior. Since the launch, the operation has led to “496,700 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 38,700 criminal arrests, with more than 35,100 felony charges,” according to the Office of the Texas Governor. Illegal migrants also contribute to the fentanyl crisis. In the effort against the epidemic, the operation (specifically Texas law enforcement members) has seized over 450 million doses of the substance from border affiliated situations.
While the operation has prevented thousands from entering the U.S., those they have granted access to have been largely transported to other major U.S. cities. The Office of the Texas Governor states the specific statistics:
- Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April, 2022
- Over 37,500 migrants to New York City since August, 2022
- Over 31,200 migrants to Chicago since August, 2022
- Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November, 2022
- Over 16,000 migrants to Denver since May 18, 2023
- Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 14, 2023
On Wednesday, January 24, Abbott presented a statement on Texas’s right to self defense. As the Biden Administration fails to perform and secure the border, Texas has taken the matters into its own hands, and as a result are being threatened by the Biden Administration. The administration has allowed these migrants (possessing illegal substances or not) into the country and have urged people to let them into their homes. This has only worsened the U.S. economy and has made U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington D.C. unsafe with an increased homeless population. Agreeing with Abbott, 25 U.S. states (mostly republican) have sent members of their National Guard to Texas to secure the state.
Another major factor in the U.S. immigration issue is Fronton Island. A border island between Texas and Mexico (although ultimately claimed by the U.S. under Operation Lone Star) has acted as a hotspot for Mexican cartels in recent decades. Not far from Eagle Pass, this area has become an ideal location for border crossing and smuggling. With little population and infrastructure on the U.S. side and a large population on the Mexican side, the Texas Border Patrol and the National Guard have limits to how much power they can expel over the island. Texas authorities are trying to get rid of cartel presence on the island.
Recently, footage via drone has spotted at least ten cartel members patrolling land that was recently raided by U.S. authorities. Several cartel groups are stationed on the island with watchtowers located at the highest points, an advantage that gives them the opportunity to spot U.S. forces and hold excellent sniper positions. The U.S.’s goal is to clear the island of all vegetation and restrict all Mexican access completely. “The Texas Department of Public Safety, who headed the operation made the all clear, which greenlighted national guard horizontal construction troops from the 176th Engineer Brigade to bring in their heavy equipment,” said Chris Cappy, a former US army infantryman and Iraq War veteran, now internet personality, who covers military news and culture on the YouTube channel Task & Purpose. The U.S. placed over 1.5 miles of razor wire, in the same motive: to stop cartel movement. Operation has since begun on Fronton Island, as forces have stripped foliage, and additional wire was placed on the far side of the island. Now scheduled patrols by National Guard troops by Operation Lone Star occur.
“Take Our Border Back” convoy has a goal to “‘send a message to all city, state, federal politicians and immigration officials,” according to freightwaves.com. Amid the standoff between Texas and the Biden Administration, a group of trucks and other vehicles are traveling to U.S. cities along the Mexico-U.S. border to protest against illegal migration. The movement is stated to start in Virginia Beach, VA and reach Texas, Arizona, and California. There will be three separate rallies, one in each state: Quemado, TX; Yuma, AZ; and San Ysidro, CA.
