Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been amping up "Operation Lone Star," the crackdown he launched three years ago using National Guard troops and state police to deter illegal immigration and narcotics smuggling — and draw attention to what he argues is the Biden administration's failure to control the border.
The Texas governor has been trying to enact a statute passed last year known as S.B. 4 that would allow state and local authorities to arrest migrants simply for being in the country illegally.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which put a temporary hold on the law last week, is scheduled to hear arguments in the case early next month.
The White House considers the statute an unconstitutional infringement on federal authority — an argument that many expect to wind up before the Supreme Court.
That legal battle is playing out at a moment when the border has emerged as a major campaign issue in this national election year.
For evidence of Abbott's intensifying get-tough tactics, look no further than Gate 36, where Abbott first deployed National Guard soldiers and state police in late 2022.
Last week, after scores of migrants clashed with Texas troops, broke through the militarized zone at Gate 36 and surrendered to the Border Patrol, Abbott declared that his units had sealed the breach.
"The TX National Guard & Dept.
of Public Safety quickly regained control & are redoubling the razor wire barriers," Abbott wrote on X. "DPS is instructed to arrest every illegal immigrant involved for criminal trespass & destruction of property."
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