Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced that he would build Texas its own border wall. Gov. Greg Abbott has spent much of his term expressing his concern and frustration with what he believes is a steadily-increasing influx of illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Gov. Abbott took to Twitter to show that he was indeed building a wall.
"Texas is building our own border wall." tweeted Abbott.
Texas is building our own border wall. pic.twitter.com/Ff72b2ZwJQ
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 6, 2023
“The Texas National Guard works day and night to detect and stop criminal activity at our border,” said Abbott.
The Texas National Guard works day and night to detect and stop criminal activity at our border. pic.twitter.com/W1GH3FSyxA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 5, 2023
The building of the wall is simply the latest in a string of measures Abbott has taken in an attempt to secure the border. Abbott recently installed “hi-tech” assets in a joint operation with the Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard. New drones, heat-sensing technology, helicopters, and other tools were used in the governor’s efforts against illegal immigration.
Expressing his frustrations with the current president’s policies regarding immigration, Abbott stated that “the Biden Administration is doing is flat-out contrary to federal law.” He continued saying, “Federal law does not allow this mass parolee process—it requires a president, the executive branch, to issue parole on only a case-by-case basis. So, the State of Texas filed a lawsuit to put a stop to this program by the Biden Administration because it is clearly, unequivocally, against the law.”
The Texas GOP has been highly critical of the Biden Administration’s handling of the border crisis. “Under the administration’s new plan, there is an option for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that will allow them to stay in the United States for two years and receive work authorization. What more of a magnet do you need for people to come to the United States than to give them a work permit and to say that you can stay here legally for two years while you await your court proceeding?” said Texas Senator John Cornyn (R).
The border wall still has a long way to go before it is fully constructed. However, the construction alone may resonate with the governor’s conservative base as a symbol showing that he intends to stop the immigration taking place at the border.
