As one of Governor Abbott’s top priorities, the Texas leader has signed a series of bills to increase border protection for the state of Texas. Abbott has already renewed the disaster declaration over the border this month and declared it a state of emergency due to the influx of immigrants that have been pouring in over the last two years. 

“Since I launched our historic border mission, Operation Lone Star, in March 2021, Texas has apprehended more than 376,000 illegal immigrants and made over 28,000 criminal arrests, with over 25,000 felony charges. Operation Lone Star has also seized more than 416 million lethal doses of fentanyl that would have otherwise spread into communities across the nation,” wrote Governor Abbott. 

Border agents are encountering thousands of migrants a day. Border communities are on alert and some counties have issued their own emergency declarations. Additionally, there are thousands of migrants camped on the other side of the border, waiting to be processed into the States.

Abbott signed the following bills to deter illegal crossings, both human and drug smuggling, and cartel activity. The bills also bolster border patrol and set up border-specific training for law enforcement. 

Texas Senate Bill 423 now allows the Texas Military to use unmanned drones for search and recovery/rescue missions and monitor the border. 

Texas Senate Bill 602 expands the powers of the Customs and Border Patrol in the state of Texas. This will allow border patrol agents to conduct search and seizure, including arresting migrants. Under current law, border patrol agents are only allowed to detain immigrants at border points of entry and checkpoints. This will require border patrol agents, however, to undergo a state training program on the criminal laws of Texas and what they are allowed to do. 

Senate Bill 1133 compensates landowners who incur damage from illegal crossing activities. This also includes law enforcement responses that result in damage to a landowner’s property. 

Senate Bill 1403 would allow the Governor to create an interstate compact between border states for greater border security. This would exclude the Texas legislature from having to approve interstate compacts by the Governor. The interstate compact would include the sharing of law enforcement, intelligence, and state resources to build barriers and other avenues to deter illegal crossings. 

Senate Bill 1484 establishes border security training for peace officers. This is to allow peace officers to assist local law enforcement in border areas and prosecutors in investigations regarding the border. The training consists of learning about trafficking along the border and other transnational crimes and organized criminal activity. Peace officers under this training will learn how to investigate border crimes, identify criminal activity in the border area, prosecute said activity, and the DPS operations on the border. 

Senate Bill 1900 establishes Mexican cartels are designated foreign terrorist organizations in the Texas Penal Code. Texas Law now says that a “Foreign terrorist organization” means three or more persons operating as an organization at least partially outside the United States who engage in criminal activity and threaten the security of this state or its residents, including but not limited to a drug cartel.” The law also raises the penalties for drug trafficking.  “Today, public enemy number one is the Mexican cartels, and they impact every community in Texas and the United States,” said Director McCraw in the press release. “Our mission is to detect and interdict transitional criminal activity and create proactive strategies to combat it. It’s dangerous to cross between ports of entry, and securing the border between them is ideal to fight Mexican cartels.”

Abbott implemented Operation Lonestar to focus on the Texas-Mexico border and has increased its components and funding over time. Now, funding for Abbott’s border initiative is over 5 billion and increased personnel have been moved to the border. Federal agents, Texas DPS, Texas Military Department, and other states have sent their own personnel and National Guard troops to the border. Additionally, federal funding has been given to NGOs to aid with the surge in migrants.

Last month, Governor Abbott reached out to his fellow Governors in a letter asking that they would send their support to secure the border. “In the federal government’s absence, we, as Governors, must band together to combat President Biden’s ongoing border crisis and ensure the safety and security that all Americans deserve,” wrote Governor Abbott to all Governors of the United States. “The Emergency Management Assistance Compact empowers states to provide assistance to one another in times of disaster or emergency, both of which accurately describe the current border crisis. Join us in the mission to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity and send all available law enforcement personnel and resources to the Texas-Mexico border to serve alongside our thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers.” 

Idaho has sent its state police and Florida has sent many national guard troops. The nations that have responded to Governor Abbott and are sending aid are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming

The border still remains a crisis and a top priority for Governor Greg Abbott, who is hoping that these new pieces of legislation will further act to keep the Texas-Mexico border safe from human trafficking, drug trafficking, and cartel-related activity.