Parker County has declared Texas and the United States to be under invasion. The County Commissioners Court has voted unanimously to invoke Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution, which allows such a declaration to be made. It is followed by the county of Atascosa. Judge Russell Wilson has signed a "disaster" declaration that includes the encroachment complaint, and the County Commissioners Court is also expected to support the "encroachment" declaration.
They thus become the seventh and eighth counties to make this declaration. Earlier, Kinney, Edwards, Goliad, Terrell, Presidio, Goliad, Edwards, Presidio, and Maverick counties had spoken in this regard. Two more counties could soon be added. County Judge Jeff Davis signed an encroachment declaration, but the County Commissioners Court has not signed it. Uvalde has shown interest in doing so, and may join shortly.
Waiting for Greg Abbott
Just the News has collected words from Atascosa County Commissioner Stuart Knowlton that challenge Governor Greg Abbott. "The governor, under the Constitution, has the right to declare an invasion," Knowlton recalls. "He has stated publicly on Fox News that he agrees that there is an invasion, but he has not yet signed a statement." If Governor Abbott were to make such a decision, he could close the border with Mexico.
The media outlet cites The Center Square, which quotes statements by Kinney County District Attorney Brent Smith. The prosecutor warns that "the significance of other Texas counties declaring an invasion cannot be overstated." This growing movement shows "clearly" that the border crisis "affects every county in the state and is not limited to communities near the Rio Grande."
The deadly frontier
According to the latest report from the United Nations International Organization for Migration, the border between the United States and Mexico is the deadliest in the world. Edwin Viales, author of the report, notes that "the number of deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border last year is significantly higher than in any previous year, even before covid-19." In 2021, 728 people died in transit crossing the border.
