Abbott Directs Texas National Guard To Begin Arresting Illegal Immigrants

As President Biden’s border crisis worsens, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas National Guard to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in apprehending immigrants caught illegally crossing the state’s southern border.

In a letter to Major General Tracy R. Norris, Adjutant General of the Texas National Guard, Abbott detailed his order.

“Beginning on May 31, 2021, I have issued multiple proclamations certifying under Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code that the surge of individuals unlawfully crossing the Texas-Mexico border poses an ongoing and imminent threat of disaster for certain counties and agencies in the State of Texas,” the letter began.  “To respond to this disaster and secure the rule of law at our Southern border, more manpower is needed—in addition to the troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and soldiers from the Texas National Guard I have already deployed there—and DPS needs help in arresting those who are violating state law.”

“As ‘Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the State’ under Article IV, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution, the governor can ‘call forth the militia to execute the laws of the State,’” The letter continued.  “Section 431.111 of the Texas Government Code likewise recognizes that the governor can call on state military forces ‘to enforce state law’ and ‘to assist civil authorities in guarding [or] conveying prisoners.’ And Section 437.002 of the Texas Government Code recognizes that ‘[t]he governor has full control and authority over all matters relating to the Texas military forces.’”
“By virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, I hereby order that the Texas National Guard assist DPS in enforcing Texas law by arresting lawbreakers at the border,” the letter concluded.

Abbott’s order comes after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released data revealing that illegal border crossings have broken 20-year records for four consecutive months.  The 20-year record was first broken in March, the first month after Biden placed a Memorandum on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restricting their ability to carry out deportations.

The Washington Post reported in May, “Under new Biden administration rules curtailing immigration enforcement, ICE carried out fewer than 3,000 deportations last month, the lowest level on record. The agency’s 6,000 officers currently average one arrest every two months.”

“ICE under President Biden is an agency on probation,” the Washington Post continued. “The new administration has rejected calls from some Democrats to eliminate the agency entirely, but Biden has placed ICE deportation officers on a leash so tight that some say their work is being functionally abolished.”