A group of judges in Texas fed up with the inaction from the Biden administration and ‘border czar’ Vice President Kamala Harris following nearly a year-and-half of record numbers of migrants crossing illegally into the state are taking action.
According to a by The Center Square, they are preparing to declare an invasion Tuesday afternoon at an event to be held at the Kinney County Civic Center in Brackettville.
The report noted:
Leading the judges is Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan, who was the first judge to issue a disaster declaration last year over the negative impacts of illegal immigration on his county, prompting other judges to also issue similar declarations. Gov. Greg Abbott later issued a disaster declaration for multiple counties as well.
Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith also has that the governor and Attorney General Ken Paxton take steps to act under Article 1 of the Constitution, as have in the state.
Their announcement Tuesday comes after Abbott has taken measures to thwart criminal activity at the border through Operation Lone Star. Since OLS launched last March, state and local law enforcement efforts, working with U.S. Border Patrol, have helped apprehend more than 270,400 illegal immigrants and made more than 16,700 criminal arrests, with more than 14,000 felony charges reported, the governor’s office says.
Abbott has praised the operation in recent days.
“Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border,” Abbott said last week.
“Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott continued.
However, several mostly South Texas counties have implored Abbott to do more, namely, declare an invasion and “act under the constitutional authority granted unto him under Article 4, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution and immediately prevent and/or remove all persons invading the sovereignty of Texas and that of the United States.”
“We are taking unprecedented steps with the hope of encouraging Gov. Greg Abbott to acknowledge the existence of an invasion on our border with Mexico and take necessary actions to preserve and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Texas,” said Shahan and Smith in a news release.
“Gov. Abbott recently acknowledged the fact that unprecedented times require unprecedented action from both state and local governments in order to protect our citizens,” Smith told the outlet.
“As such, several border counties have taken unprecedented action and declared an invasion on our border with Mexico. This coalition of counties support Gov. Abbott’s efforts and request he stand alongside us and declare an invasion and swiftly act to protect Texas,” Smith continued.
“From the time of Texas independence from Mexico until today, Texas has played a key part in American growth and exceptionalism,” Boyd told The Center Square. “The rugged individualist mentality of Texans is what spurs us to take matters into our own hands instead of huddling in the protective shadow of the government waiting for answers and permission that may never come.
“This spirit of independence, along with our sense of duty to our fellow man, is what drives counties such as ours to take bold steps at times like this,” he said. “We are compelled to act within the constitutional limits set by our forefathers in order to preserve the way of life they envisioned and we enjoy.
“We act today, in the face of government complicity, in order to try to ensure that our children and grandchildren are free citizens in the decades to come,” Boyd went on.
Also scheduled to speak are U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli.
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