Texas governor declares disaster along southern border

Landowners in South Texas are “seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. He issued a disaster declaration in 34 counties along or near the U.S. border with Mexico, saying President Joe Biden’s policies “paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities.”

How bad are things? Texas Department of Public Safety troops have made more than 1,300 criminal arrests, apprehended 35,000 people for illegal crossings, and seized more than 10,000 pounds of illegal drugs, Abbott said. He added that the disaster declaration would free up resources to enforce laws and protect Texas citizens.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew about how Biden’s immigration policies created chaos at the southern border.