A shocking video posted to X by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) shows Border Patrol and Customs agents cutting razor wire that Texas installed along the Rio Grande River, allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to stream into the United States. The agents were operating on the orders of President Joe Biden and his administration according to Abbott.
Illegal immigration has become a leading issue in the U.S. since 2018 when numbers of immigrants began spiking. Since 2020, the Biden administration has rolled back a series of laws instituted under former President Donald Trump which has resulted in unprecedented numbers of immigrants entering both legally and illegally.
Night time in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The invasion continues… pic.twitter.com/iBHAD8fJjo
— 👑💥 Serenity 💥👑 (@polishprincessh) September 23, 2023
In response to the lack of regulation by the federal government, Abbott formed Operation Lone Star, a state policy that aims to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drugs, and human trafficking that is causing disaster to dozens of small, rural towns along the southern border.
As part of Operation Lone Star, Abbott is bussing thousands of immigrants to cities throughout the nation that claim to be sanctuaries. Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles have been the primary destinations for buses, but immigrants have been sent to Washington, D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard in an effort to highlight the crisis.
Eagle Pass, Texas, where a video was shot of agents cutting razor wire, is the latest rural town to experience crushing numbers of illegal immigrants. Texas says that on Tuesday when the wire was cut, about 2,700 immigrants crossed unchecked into the U.S. The following day, another 3,000 entered before the mayor of Eagle Pass declared a state of emergency.
Following the release of the video, Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. said the administration is at least partly responsible for the surge in migrants. Salinas said the surge in immigrants entering Eagle Pass is unprecedented and causing significant strain on the economy and resources in the rural town of 30,000 residents.
Around 800 members of the military will be deployed along the border in the coming days, but DHS stressed that the military will not have direct contact with immigrants and will not provide detention services. Instead, the military personnel will “fill critical capability gaps,” according to a statement from the Department.
On Thursday, the body of a man believed to be in his 40s or 50s was recovered from the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. The man is believed to be a migrant who was caught in the current and drowned. A three-year-old also drowned on Wednesday after being swept away from his family as they attempted to cross illegally.
