By Paul J. Weber - The Associated Press
Texas has begun arresting undocumented migrants crossing the border on charges of trespassing, after Republican Governor Greg Abbott announced that he would take these actions to reduce the number of crossings.
At least 10 people have been jailed so far
and authorities warned Thursday that there will be more in the coming days.
Abbot made the announcement at a summit last June, in which he also said he would continue to build the border wall with Mexico promoted by former President Donald Trump and asked governors across the country for help to send agents from their state and federal police. the National Guard to patrol the southern border, a call to which Florida and Arizona have already responded.
The detained migrants have already been sent to the Dilley, Texas state prison, which was emptied in mid-June for that purpose.
The facility, which is located 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the border city of Laredo,
will be able to house more than 950 people
, according to Robert Hurst, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
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The 10 people arrested so far are single adult men, according to Val Verde County Prosecutor David Martínez, who assured that the number of migrants detained per day could increase to 100 or 200. This high number, he said,
"would not overwhelm just my office, but our entire system pretty quickly
.
"
Most of the land along the southern Texas border is private, but Martinez said it was his understanding that state troopers were not going to arrest family units there.
Last week, Border Protection and Customs (CBP) officials reported that they had encountered 55,805 family members with children in June, 25% more than the previous month.
That figure is still below the all-time high of 88,587 in May 2019.
"If 'Fulanito Pérez' is caught on my property and he comes with his wife and children, they probably won't arrest him,
" Martinez said.
"That is what they have transmitted to me."
This April 6, 2020 file photo shows the Dolph Briscoe Unit correctional facility in Dilley, Texas.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment from
The Associated Press
news agency on
Thursday.
Val Verde County, which has about 50,000 residents, has become the backdrop for Abbott's criticism of President Joe Biden over the border.
The governor, who will seek re-election in 2022, has tried to position himself as the heir to the anti-immigration policies of Trump, who accompanied him to visit the border with Mexico in late June.
Last weekend, the Republican president also met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who responded to his call to send agents to patrol the border.
"The state jails commission has come up with a way to incarcerate many more people than are currently incarcerated,"
Abbott said during their meeting Saturday.
However, the most populous counties on the southern border of Texas, where most migrants usually cross, rejected Abbot's proposal to increase patrols and accept disaster declarations, which are normally only issued by a natural phenomenon.
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As migrants detained for trespassing arrived at Dilley prison, prison officials said in a statement that they had temporary air conditioning, something that most cells in the state do not have.
Abbot has assured that the arrested migrants will have to serve substantial prison terms and that they will not be released immediately.
However, Martínez clarified
that he will try to reduce the time they spend in prison to avoid saturating the prisons
.
"My office is working very hard to try to minimize the amount of time they have to stay in jail," he stated.
