Texas Governor Greg Abbott said his state was taking border security into its own hands after the Biden administration’s requests went unanswered.
In a video shared on Twitter late Monday night, the Republican governor showed border officials in Brownsville, Texas, placing barbed wire across a gap in the border that had previously been exposed to migrants seeking to can enter the United States from Mexico.
“This is something Texas does to secure the border,” Abbott wrote. “This is the area near Brownsville where migrants crossed in large numbers a few days ago.”
In the video, the man carrying the camera and a flashlight walks briskly along the border and turns to show hundreds of feet of spiral wiring. In some places, cables are stacked to create a partition several feet high.
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Texas Gov. shared. Greg Abbott a video of the newly installed barbed wire in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Abbott added: “We now have a wired shut. Other areas will be out for the crossing. We will close them as well.”
“More to come,” the Texas governor promised.
The barbed wire appears to be only a minor deterrent to those who want to enter the US illegally. Photos and videos in various border areas show migrants crossing barbed cables by using blankets and clothes to cover the sharp edges.
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The barbed barricade comes as the Biden administration has failed to deliver congressional funds approved under the Trump administration to strengthen border security.
Many border states have complained that the federal government has also failed to help them close critical gaps in border areas.
National Guard agents place a barbed wire wall on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, on the border with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on March 8, 2023. (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Border crossings have increased in recent weeks and migrants have gathered by the thousands near various sections of the wall, including El Paso, as they wait for Title 42 to expire on Thursday.
Title 42 is a public health order signed by former President Donald Trump in 2020 and its expiration is expected to lead to an influx of migrants.
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The order gives border officials the authority to refuse or transfer migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House most recently said it would veto a border enforcement bill from the Republican House majority, which would restrict asylum requests and build a physical border wall.
“Biden is against border security laws,” Abbott also tweeted on Monday.
President Biden speaks with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials as he visits the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “Over the past 2 years, #OperationLoneStar has helped fill the dangerous gaps created by Biden’s open border policies. Biden has stopped or rolled back every effective border security strategy. “
“With the end of Title 42 Thursday, Texas will continue our historic response to this crisis,” the Texas Republican said.
Border officials in Brownsville, Texas are installing barbed cables to close a gap on the US-Mexico border. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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In addition to the number of migrants crossing the border, Abbott and Republicans in border states are rebelling against the spread of the deadly fentanyl, which mainly enters the US from Mexico.
More than 385 million lethal doses have been seized by border officials in the past two years alone under Operation Lone Star in Texas.
