Texas Gov. Abbott Places Troops in Borders Amid Immigration Crisis
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he will be deploying National Guard troops along the border to address the immigration crisis the state is facing after there has been a surge of immigrants trying to enter the country.
Abbott announced through Twitter that Texas launched Operation Lone Star to address the border crisis.
"It deploys Nat'l Guard + DPS Officers + air, ground, marine, & tactical border security assets to deny Mexican Cartels & smugglers the ability to move drugs & people into Texas," Abbott was quoted in a Washington Examiner report.
Abbott said that Operation Lone Star will fight the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas after the issue has been worsened by the Biden administration.
Abbott said that the crisis at the southern border continues to worsen due to the Biden administration's policies that refuse to secure the border, which causes a surge in illegal immigration.
"Texas supports legal immigration but will not be an accomplice to the open border policies that cause, rather than prevent, a humanitarian crisis in our state and endanger the lives of Texans," Abbott was quoted in a report.
He added that they will increase the resources and law enforcement personnel required to face the crisis.
Meanwhile, Texas Department of Public Safety Col. Steve McCraw met with the Texan governor last month to discuss how the state should address the ongoing crisis along the border, according to a Western Journal report.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said that the time is rapidly going, adding that he fears Laredo will soon be swamped.
Cuellar added that in the last 7 days in the valley they have stopped 10,000 individuals and 2,500 individuals in the last two days.
He cited the previous problem of having too many people in the south, which resulted in sending the refugees in Laredo. Cuellar also added that he fears that illegal immigrants might bring the COVID-19 inside the U.S. territory.
ALSO READ: Trump Officials Warn of Illegal Border Crossings Surge If Biden Reverses Immigration Policies
Migrant Facilities
The Biden administration will turn two Texas facilities, detaining adults and children who cross the border for a maximum of 72 hours, before being released into the U.S.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said families continue to be detained at a Karnes City detention center. However, the U.S. government plans to hold adults and children at those sites for three days or less, according to a Fox News report.
The Department of Homeland Security has preliminary plans to transform the two facilities in southern Texas into rapid processing centers aimed at screening 100 families daily.
Russell Hott, a senior official with ICE, said that the number of unaccompanied minors and families reaching the U.S.-Mexico border this year is seen to be the highest numbers observed in over 20 years.
Hott said that despite two facilities in southern Texas are being turned into rapid-processing facilities, it may not be enough to keep pace with the detentions.
ICE-contractor MVM plans to select hotels in McAllen, El Paso, and Phoenix, Arizona, according to Hott.
Officials added that anyone who tests positive would be quarantined for 10 days.
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WATCH: Fact-checking Gov. Abbott's claim of migrants entering Texas border cities with the virus - from KSAT 12