TEXAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, fresh off securing a third term as governor last week, on Tuesday declared an invasion at the Texas-Mexico border. There have been record migrant crossings this year.

Specifically, Abbott said he has invoked the “Invasion Clauses” of the Texas and U.S. Constitutions “to authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to defend our state against an invasion."

The governor’s Operation Lone Star troop surge remains in effect, and on Monday he tweeted that “Texas continues taking unprecedented action to address Biden’s historic border crisis."

Abbott said the invasion declaration will allow the state to take the following steps, most of which are already in effect:

  • Deploy the National Guard to safeguard our border & to repel & turn back immigrants trying to cross the border illegally;
  • Deploy the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to arrest & return to the border immigrants who crossed illegally & deploy DPS to arrest illegal immigrants for criminal activity;
  • Build a border wall in multiple counties on the border;
  • Deploy gun boats to secure the border
  • Designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations;
  • Enter into a compact with other states to secure the border;
  • Enter into a agreements with foreign powers to enhance border security; &
  • Provide resources for border counties to increase their efforts to respond to the border invasion.