Greg Abbott warned illegal immigrants that he will do everything possible to keep them out of the country. The Republican governor participated in a roundtable discussion on the border crisis this past Tuesday in Welasco. There he issued the following warning to those attempting to enter the country illegally through the Texas border:
If you’re coming toward the United States of America and you’re thinking about crossing our border, and you’re thinking about making your border crossing into the state of Texas, you’re picking the wrong state to enter into. We’re going to do everything we can to keep you out of our border, to keep you out of our country.
Texas is sending a clear message to those who would cross our southern border illegally — you picked the wrong state.
Through #OperationLoneStar, Texas is taking unprecedented action to respond to Biden’s border crisis.https://t.co/6AYKHmdTAx
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 22, 2023
Fox News reported that one of the measures Abbott wants to implement in Operation Lone Star is to impose a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for anyone who brings illegal immigrants into the United States from Texas.
Greg Abbott warns of increase in illegal immigration
This proposal is just one of many that Abbott would like to implement in order to address one of the problems the state has been dealing with for years: illegal immigration. In fact, during the roundtable Abbott said that in 2020 the number of illegal immigrants was "the lowest in decades." However, by 2023, the situation changed dramatically:
This past year, we saw this highest number of illegal immigrants ever who were apprehended coming across our border. Texas is stepping up. Texans, as well as our fellow Americans, are furious about the lawlessness caused by President Joe Biden's open border policies. It is because of this that I declared border security an emergency item this session to address this quickly and be more proactive.
He is not the only one concerned about illegal immigration in Texas. Senator Brian Birdwell was also appalled by the situation in the Lone Star State and thanked Abbott for his involvement in the matter:
The State of Texas is certainly in a difficult situation, having 1,200 of the 1,900 miles of international border with Mexico. Under the leadership of Governor Abbott and Operation Lone Star, we are making our belligerent opponents in the cartels pay a price for plying their wares in the State of Texas. I thank the Governor for his leadership, because we simply cannot allow the people of Texas–their property and their lives–to just be turned over to the mercy of the cartels.
