The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, announced this Friday that the state will build a military camp in Eagle Pass that will house more than 1,800 soldiers of its National Guard “to improve and increase operations” and prevent migrants from crossing irregularly. the border with Mexico.
“What you see here is the first phase of construction that has already begun on 80 acres,” Abbott said in a press conference from the site where the camp will be built, and in which he appeared surrounded by armed soldiers.
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The new project, which adds to a series of state measures to discourage and prevent irregular crossings of migrants across the southern border, “will increase the capacity to have a greater number of military personnel,” Abbott explained.
The complex, capable of housing up to 2,300 soldiers, will include rooms and recreation centers.
The camp seeks to gather and consolidate the military body in one place.
“Texas could not respond as it has been doing if it were not for the heroes of the Texas National Guard,” the governor insisted.
He explained that a group of soldiers will be located in a “strategic area” to
respond with “more agility and flexibility” to border crossings
“and prevent anyone from crossing illegally.”
In addition, he said, he will “organize substantial forces” to expand “the effectiveness” of the barbed wire fence that he installed and promised to extend, challenging the decision of the Supreme Court that, at the end of January, ruled in favor of the Government of Joe Biden authorizing the Border Patrol to remove or cut it.
The Biden Administration alleges in this case that Texas prevented border agents from carrying out their surveillance tasks and from accessing and processing migrants who had already crossed the border.
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“The soldiers who are going to be stationed here and near the river (Bravo) will be able to respond more quickly and will be able to continue building this barrier,” Abbott said.
“We have seen the effectiveness of these barbed fences.”
The new project is part of the governor's tough immigration plan, called Operation Lone Star, which has led him to confront the federal government on multiple occasions, including the case of the aquatic barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande to stop migrants.
Abbott has also sent dozens of buses full of asylum seekers to Democratic-led cities and pushed the controversial anti-immigrant law SB4, which allows state police to arrest anyone on suspicion of entering the country illegally and expel them without trial. judicial.
In January the numbers of border crossings on the southern border fell by 50% after the peaks reported in December where there were 249,735, according to official data.
One of the main falls was reported in the Del Río sector, which includes Eagle Pass.
The crossings on the southern border are one of the focuses of the presidential campaign for the November elections.
Republicans have criticized the Biden Administration for its handling of border security and former President Donald Trump has lashed out at his opponent, claiming that if he returns to the White House for a second term, he will carry out “record deportations.”