TYLER, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott says he has invoked the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions to declare the act of migrants coming into Texas through the U.S. - Mexico border as an invasion.
Gov. Abbott says he will "fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion."
Gov. Abbott says the following steps will be taken by the state:
- Deploy the National Guard to safeguard the border, and to repel and turn back immigrants trying to cross the border illegally
- Deploy the Texas Dept. of Public Safety (DPS) to arrest and return immigrants to the border who crossed illegally, and to arrest illegal immigrants for criminal activity;
- Build a wall in multiple counties on the border;
- Deploy gun boats;
- Designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations;
- Enter into a compact with other states to secure the border;
- Enter into agreements with foreign powers to enhance border security;
- Provide resources for border counties to increase their efforts to respond to the "border invasion."
In July 2022, Gov. Abbott issued an executive order directing state law enforcement to "apprehend illegal immigrants who illegally cross the border between ports of entry and return them to the border." He stopped short of calling the crossings an invasion.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for the 2022 calendar year, agents have had nearly 2.1 million encounters at the U.S. - Mexico border.