Following Disaster Declaration, Texas Governor Abbott Vows to Arrest All Migrants Crossing Border

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to begin ordering local authorities to arrest all migrants coming across the border.

"We're about to change the way Texas addresses the challenges on the border and we're going to start by helping these 34 counties respond by increasing arrests," Abbott told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.

"The law that I'm going to use will be legal ways in which Texas is going to start arresting everybody coming across the border," he added. "Not just arresting them, but because this is not going to be aggravated trespass, they're going to be spending a half a year in jail, if not a year in jail, as well as other action that I will be announcing next week."

Abbott's latest remarks come a day after the governor issued a disaster declaration "in response to the border crisis, providing more resources and strategies to combat the ongoing influx of unlawful immigrants."

In a news release announcing the declaration, Abbott authorized the use of "all necessary and available state and local resources" to protect Texans from the surge in illegal crossings at the border.

The governor has continued to blame President Joe Biden for what Abbott has declared a "crisis" in his state, saying that Biden's "open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities."

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 34 counties along or near the Lone Star State’s border with Mexico Tuesday, claiming that President Biden’s immigration policies had allowed in a flood of drugs and gang members.

“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said in a statement.

“Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them.”

In the declaration, Abbott noted that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers had “made over 1,300 criminal arrests, apprehended over 35,000 illegal migrants and seized over 10,000 pounds of drugs and over 100 firearms” since March 6 of this year. He also stated that between January and April, troopers had intercepted “21.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl.”

“Texas continues to step up to confront the border crisis in the federal government’s absence, but more must be done,” Abbot’s statement concluded.

“By declaring a state of disaster in these counties, Texas will have more resources and strategies at our disposal to protect landowners and enforce all federal and state laws to combat criminal activities stemming from the border crisis. Working together with local law enforcement, the state will continue to take robust and meaningful action to keep our communities safe.”