BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott is giving an update on the state’s response to the ongoing border situation during a press briefing Friday afternoon.
The press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Brownsville, according to a news release. You can watch the live event in the video player above.
Abbott will be accompanied by Texas Dept. of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Texas Military Department Brigadier Gen. Matthew Barker and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, the governor’s office confirmed.
In a public address earlier this month, the governor focused on border security before the end of Title 42 — a public health emergency order that was used to quickly expel migrants from the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that Title 42 has ended, Border Patrol agents returned to pre-pandemic immigration laws, which have “stiffer penalties” on migrants who come into the U.S. without permission, according to the Texas Tribune.
RELATED: Border didn’t see a “major influx” of migrants when Title 42 ended, federal official says
During the briefing, the governor announced he deployed 450 National Guard soldiers to the southern border and announced the creation of a new unit called the Texas Tactical Border Force, which was deployed to El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley, the Texas Tribune reports.
We’ll bring more updates to this article as they become available.