Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced the formation of a new task force on Monday to deal with the anticipated influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants as Title 42, the public health decree enacted during the pandemic that permitted the deportation of migrants, expires on May 11.
According to KVIA, the governor updated Texans on the impending disaster in the Rio Grande during a press conference conducted at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday morning.
The governor announced that up to 10,000 National Guardsmen and 1,200 Department of Public Safety personnel would be sent to the frontier in the coming days.
The formation of a new task force, the “Texas Tactical Border Force,” as part of this deployment will consist of carefully selected members of the Texas National Guard who will be dispatched to “hot spots” along the 1,254-mile-long Texas-Mexico border.
This task force will be tasked with halting, discouraging, and returning any migrants attempting to enter the state, as over 13,000 are expected daily.
In order to assist them in their mission alongside those already stationed near the border as part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas governor added that the specialized group will be equipped with aircraft, watercraft, and other vehicles.
“[Operation Lone Star] agencies ready security forces as Texas prepares for Title 42 to end next week,” Abbott posted on Twitter on May 5th. “While President Biden deploys troops to do paperwork, Texas is ramping up our historic efforts to protect our state and our nation.”
#OperationLoneStar agencies ready security forces as Texas prepares for Title 42 to end next week.
While President Biden deploys troops to do paperwork, Texas is ramping up our historic efforts to protect our state and our nation.https://t.co/FyRbaF20Rn
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) May 5, 2023
In response to President Biden’s deployment of 1,500 active-duty military personnel to the southern border prior to the expiration of Title 42, additional Texans have been sent to the border. However, they are not there to protect the border; they are there to assist with the paperwork that will enable more migrants to enter the country.
The repeal of Title 42 will have devastating effects on both Texas and the nation as a whole. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are expected to flood the border in the coming weeks, and millions are expected to do so by the end of the year.
Approximately 2,200 migrants are camping or living on the streets of El Paso, Texas, just a few blocks from the primary ports of entry that connect El Paso to Juárez, Mexico. If necessary, the city is preparing to open shelters the following week in two abandoned school facilities and a community center.
The mayor of El Paso announced on Sunday that streetcar service has been suspended indefinitely due to “service changes necessary for public safety and a road closure required to accommodate the City’s response to the humanitarian migrant crisis affecting downtown City services.”
According to the El Paso Times, city officials announced over the weekend that sections of Father Rahm Avenue will be closed due to the 1,800 migrants seeking sanctuary near the renowned Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown El Paso.
Approximately 10,000 to 12,000 migrants are purportedly waiting in Juárez to cross the border, according to El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, who warns the community to prepare for the “unknown.” According to Leeser, migrants are flocking to the frontier in the mistaken belief that it will be easier to enter the United States once Title 42 is repealed.
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
The El Paso Police Department is advising motorists to “use extra caution” due to the possibility of migrant groups dashing into traffic on highways and streets along the border and in the city center, according to a city news release. CONTINUE READING…
