Texas governor doubles down on U.S. border strategy

Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will continue placing more razor wire and other anti-climb barriers after meeting with nearly two-dozen state representatives in the border town of Eagle Pass on Thursday. The announcement comes weeks after the Supreme Court granted U.S. Border Patrol agents the authority to remove the barbed wire fences. Abbott circumvented the federal role of securing Texas’ southern border, alleging President Joe Biden abdicated the responsibility by failing to enforce pre-existing legislation barring illegal immigration. Last month, Texas state law enforcement seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass in an attempt to stop migrants from illegally crossing the Rio Grande into Texas. Since then, the state has blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing the park. Abbott maintains that since the Texas National Guard took control of securing the park, daily migrant crossings dropped from in the thousands to less than 10. “It shows that deterrence can achieve results in decreasing illegal immigration,” Abbott told the press.

So the Biden administration is doing nothing to combat migration? Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with overseeing border patrol and illegal immigration. Harris has taken a “root cause” approach to securing the border, a strategy of launching relief and outreach programs for the Central American countries where most migrants originate. The strategy is designed to create better opportunities in those countries so their populace will be less likely to emigrate.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report on congressional border policy negotiations.