Texas Gov. Greg Abbott brags he has built more border wall than Trump as state battles wave of migrants crossing: More than 39,000 arrested for crimes on US soil and 458 million lethal doses of fentanyl seized since 2021
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has bragged that he has built more border walls than even former President Donald Trump did during his time in office.
At a news conference at the border hotspot Eagle Pass, which has become the epicenter of a political and legal standoff with the Biden administration, Abbott also boasted that Texas is the only state building its own border wall.
“If you look at the amount of wall that has already been built and the amount of wall that will still be under construction, Texas will have built more of the ‘Trump Wall’ than even Trump has built in the state of Texas,” Abbott said Thursday from Shelby. Park.
Last month, Abbott took control of Shelby Park, a city park in Eagle Pass that has become the preferred entry point for migrants entering the U.S. illegally.
Abbott kicked federal U.S. Border Patrol agents out of the park and accused the Biden administration of failing to secure the border.
Gov. Greg Abbott spoke Thursday at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, flanked by state officials
Texas’ border wall is 30 feet tall and is made of steel panels anchored by concrete, according to the Texas Facilities Commission, the agency responsible for the project.
Abbott began construction of the state’s border barrier in 2021
Former President Donald Trump built 450 miles of border along the country’s entire southern border — including 60 miles in the Lone Star State, federal statistics show.
Under Abbott’s leadership, the border state has built 37 miles of barrier — with 21 more under construction — with state and private funds, according to the Texas Facilities Commission, the agency responsible for construction.
“Texas is the first and only state in the history of the United States of America to build our own border wall,” Abbott added.
At the news conference, the abbot also boasted of other measures to secure the border, including the state’s arrest of 497,600 illegal immigrants, mostly under trespass laws.
Of those, more than 39,000 were arrested while committing other crimes, with more than 35,200 felony charges.
The state’s border barrier is funded by the taxpayers of the Lone Star State, as well as $55 million in private donations
Construction of the wall is part of the governor’s “Operation Lone Star,” his border security initiative
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the number of migrants in Eagle Pass, Texas has dropped significantly
In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement seized more than 458 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Since December, at least $55 million in private donations have been given to build the wall. show figures from the state.
Abbott began construction of the steel bollard panels in 2021, when President Joe Biden took office and halted work on the federal border wall.
Following a wave of immigrant crime, lawmakers in the Lone Star State also approved a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for anyone convicted of smuggling illegal immigrants into the state.
Abbott took credit for the declining number of migrants entering the U.S. through Texas.
“While Texas represents two-thirds of the border, we only represent about 30% of border crossings,” the Republican explained.
‘The main border crossings are California, Arizona and New Mexico. They represent 70% of the crossings.’
The Del Rio sector, which until recently was the busiest area where migrants passed through Eagle Pass, according to the Border Patrol.
Now remote Lukeville, Arizona has become the main crossing point.
That’s where Border Patrol agents are seeing an explosion in the number of Chinese nationals crossing the border.
As many as 37,000 Chinese migrants crossed illegally from Mexico into the US last year – 50 times more than in previous years.
An asylum-seeking migrant from China holds up his passport and paperwork as he is photographed by a U.S. Border Patrol in December 2023
CBP sources said the number of total migrant crossings has risen above 1 million since October, compared to the same time frame last year (923,446).
‘The main border crossings are California, Arizona and New Mexico. They represent 70% of the crossings.’
The Del Rio sector, which until recently was the busiest area where migrants passed through Eagle Pass, according to the Border Patrol.
Now remote Lukeville, Arizona has become the main crossing point.
That’s where Border Patrol agents are seeing an explosion in the number of Chinese nationals crossing the border.
As many as 37,000 Chinese migrants crossed illegally from Mexico into the US last year – 50 times more than in previous years.
Since October, another 20,000 Chinese citizens have crossed the international border to seek asylum.
This trend has raised concerns that these migrants are not being sent to the US by the Chinese government with sinister intentions.
“We would be incredibly narcissistic to assume that these people are just coming here because they are in the area,” said TV personality Dr. Phil, who visited Eagle Pass last week.
‘What are they doing? If they work in agriculture, if they work in industry, I promise you they are expected to do certain things. Are they spying? Do they send seeds back from agriculture to China? Do they get plans from the industries they work on?’