Greg Abbott Deploys Airboats Against Migrants in Texas Border Battle
Story by James Bickerton • 20h •
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has shared photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing members of the state's National Guard using airboats to patrol the Rio Grande in a bid to control migration at the southern border.
The post came just one day after the governor announced Texas National Guard troops would "undergo training to effectively operate and maintain airboats" in support of Operation Lone Star, a joint scheme from the Texas Military Department and Texas Department of Public Safety launched by Abbott in 2021 to control the situation at the border.
Migration from Mexico into Texas has become a major source of tension between state and federal officials over the past few months. In January, 68,260 migrants were encountered by law enforcement, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, down from 149,806 in December.
The state has been the epicenter of the U.S.-Mexico border battle for the past year and a half, as Abbott has taken matters into his own hands due to the perceived inaction of President Joe Biden's administration and federal government. That has included lawsuits and federal court battles over the use of razor wire in high-traversed areas such as Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, and floating barriers in the Rio Grande.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/greg-abbott-deploys-airboats-against-migrants-in-texas-border-battle/ar-BB1lspf1?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=80dd1880803e441f888c8589d941020f&ei=57
