The ambitious Texas strategy to halt migrants has encountered a major obstacle. HUGO AND MAGALI Urbina, conservative Christian retirees, used to admire Greg Abbott, Texas’s governor. They spent their summer fishing on the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, where their pecan orchard meets Texas’s border with Mexico. Migrants would cross the water onto their property, and federal border agents would typically apprehend them without much commotion.
However, everything changed in July. Texas took control of the land along the river against the Urbinas’ wishes. State troopers installed razor wire, and migrants with cuts started to climb ashore. Unlike the federal agents, state police were instructed not to assist the newcomers and, according to some reports, were told to push them back into the river. By Christmas, the couple had grown accustomed to finding unaccompanied young girls in their orchard and discovering dead bodies under the trees. They hold Mr. Abbott responsible.
Three years ago, shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Texas governor launched “Operation Lone Star”. As migrant arrivals at the border surged, Mr. Abbott believed it was Texas’s responsibility to use state authority to address the crisis. He declared a “disaster” in numerous Texas counties and deployed the Texas National Guard and state police officers. Although they lacked the authority to enforce federal laws, they arrested thousands of individuals for criminal trespass.
2024-01-25 07:06:44
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