Lubbock Online by Asher Price 6/21/2019
Calling members of Congress “reprobates†for not adequately addressing the influx of migrants at the nation’s southern border, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that he is sending as many as 1,000 more National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border to assist federal authorities.
“There is an escalating crisis at the border, a crisis Congress is refusing to fix,†Abbott said.
There were 593,507 apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border between October and May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. That figure is higher than highest annual apprehension total from each of the last seven fiscal years.
In May alone, federal authorities caught 132,887 illegal border crossers, mostly from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
“This surge left unchecked increases the risk of dangerous individuals and gang members crossing the border into Texas,†Abbott said. “It increases the risk of drugs and illegal contraband crossing the border.â€
The troops will join 1,000 members of the National Guard already deployed to the border, as well as state law enforcement. While the National Guard deployment is paid for by the federal government, state lawmakers have approved spending more than $2 billion since 2015 on border security efforts, including approval by the Legislature this year of $800 million over the next two years.
The U.S. Homeland Security Department did not respond to a request for the cost to the federal government of the National Guard deployment.
“Disappointed Governor did not dispatch (state Health and Human Service) agents to assist with screenings and resources to help with transportation,†state Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, wrote Friday on Twitter. “If feds are going to reimburse Texas, then this was a missed opportunity to provide the humanitarian help our border communities have been requesting.â€
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