Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised his state’s installation of additional razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border as the Lone Star State continues to take steps to curb illegal migration.
Abbott previously called on the Texas National Guard to install “triple-strand” razor on the western and southern borders in response to President Joe Biden endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 presidential race. The Republican governor has repeatedly clashed with Washington over border safety. Conservatives repeatedly blame Biden’s policies for creating a “crisis” along the souther border.
“Texas is tripling razor wire barriers to STOP illegal immigrants from crossing the border,” Abbott wrote to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris turn a blind eye to the border crisis, Texas will deploy every tool and strategy to deny illegal crossings into our state.”
U.S. soldiers and law enforcement officers watch over a small group of immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande into the United States on March 18 in Eagle Pass, Texas. Governor Greg Abbott praised his law enforcement for installing additional razor wire along the Texas border on Friday.
John Moore/Getty Images
Abbott announced on Tuesday that additional razor wire was being installed near Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. The governor last month shared a report from KFOX that more razor wire was also being installed along the southern border near El Paso.
The governor launched his border-control initiative, Operation Lone Star, in 2021. In a news release Friday, the state of Texas claimed that the initiative has “led to over 517,900 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 46,000 criminal arrests.”
Abbott’s operation has also involved transporting migrants, either by bus or plane, to Democratic-controlled sanctuary cities, which have policies in place that discourage local law enforcement from reporting the immigration status of individuals unless it involves a serious crime. Per Friday’s release, Abbott’s administration has moved over 119,000 migrants since 2022 to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.
Democrats and human rights activists have condemned Abbott’s methods as inhumane, and Texas and D.C. are in an ongoing legal dispute over the installation of razor wire along the border.
Polling has deemed immigration a core issue for voters heading into November. In a new Fox News poll, most voters blamed Biden’s policies and his administration’s “lack of enforcement” for strife along the southern border. But a clear majority also held former President Donald Trump‘s White House and Senate Republicans responsible.
Harris’ campaign has also been targeted, with Republicans characterizing the vice president as Biden’s appointed “border czar.”
Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border dropped to a nearly four-year low last month, according to data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Agents reported 56,408 illegal crossings last month, a 32 percent decline from June. It also marked the fifth consecutive month that illegal crossing numbers have dropped.
Newsweek reached out to Abbott’s office via email for comment Friday night.