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Three Texas counties declared a state of emergency in the face of record numbers of illegal immigrants in the state. Authorities claim it is an “unprecedented” event.
It is Kinney, Goliad and Uvalde counties that are looking for ways to combat the surge of immigrants in border crossings.
According to the New York Post, Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan is leading the initiative to declare a state of emergency; it was he who first issued a disaster declaration last year because of the negative impacts of illegal migration in his county, which led other judges to issue similar declarations. Later, state Governor Greg Abbott also issued a disaster declaration for several counties.
For his part, Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith also requested that the governor and Attorney General Ken Paxton take steps to act in accordance with the Constitution. Smith told Fox News that he believes approximately 12 to 15 counties could end up declaring an invasion by the end of the month.
The counties are asking the governor to declare an invasion and to “act under the constitutional authority granted unto him under Article 4, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution and Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution and immediately prevent and/or remove all persons invading the sovereignty of Texas and that of the United States.”
Article 4 of the Texas Constitution states that the governor is the commander-in-chief of the military forces of the state and “shall have the power to call out the militia to execute the laws of the state, to suppress insurrections, and to repel invasions.”
Meanwhile, Article 1 of the country’s Constitution, Section 10, allows states to maintain troops and “go to war” in case of “invasion or danger so imminent that it cannot be delayed.
“It needs to be stressed that this is not a political rally. This is a gathering of concerned Texas County Judges and others, doing their very best to take concrete steps for the safety of their constituents, and the State of Texas as a whole.” Matt Benacci, a public information officer with the sheriff’s office, told The Center Square.
Arizona Attorney General Supports Texas Position
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich also addressed the issue: “The violence and lawlessness at the border caused by transnational cartels and gangs satisfies the definition of an ‘invasion’ under the U.S. Constitution, and Arizona therefore has the power to defend itself from this invasion under the Governor’s authority as Commander-in-Chief,” Brnovich wrote.
An actual invasion permits the State to engage in defensive actions within its own territory at or near its border,” he added.
Texas in a state of emergency due to illegal migration
In May alarming figures for migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border were reached. In that month alone, 239,216 apprehensions were recorded, according to the latest monthly statistics available from the Border Patrol and Customs Enforcement.
The figure is the highest number of migrant encounters recorded in a month. The number of apprehensions in FY2022 already reached more than 1.7 million.
” I think they’re trying to think of options or come up with some kind of solution. At the end of the day, the federal government is not doing its job and these local communities need to come up with a solution,” County Commissioner Robert Nettleton in neighboring Val Verde County, said according to a New York Post report.
Property owners near the border often see human and drug trafficking on their land, and small towns often experience dangerous high-speed chases when human traffickers do not stop when Border Patrol agents attempt to apprehend them.
Nettleton says emergency declarations are a way for small, resource-poor communities get funding from the state and federal governments.
The most recent and critical situation occurred when 53 migrants were found dead inside an abandoned truck in Texas.
The truck was found in a low-traffic area near a railroad track in southwest San Antonio, which is about 250 km from the U.S.-Mexico border.
“A worker who works in one of the buildings up here behind me heard a cry for help. The worker came out to investigate, found a trailer with the doors partially open, opened them up to take a look, and found a number of deceased individuals inside,” San Antonio Police Chief William McManus recounted during a press conference.
Sabrina Martín Rondon is a Venezuelan journalist. Her source is politics and economics. She is a specialist in corporate communications and is committed to the task of dismantling the supposed benefits of socialism // Sabrina Martín Rondon es periodista venezolana. Su fuente es la política y economía. Es especialista en comunicaciones corporativas y se ha comprometido con la tarea de desmontar las supuestas bondades del socialismo