Gov. Greg Abbott recently touted Texas’ latest efforts to secure the state against unlawful migration from the south, particularly Operation Lone Star’s work on building a border wall.

Abbott posted a video to social media on Monday that showed the barrier’s ongoing construction, adding, “Texas is the first and only state in the history of our nation to build our own border wall.”

“I will soon sign new legislation to add even more funding for this historic project,” he added in the post.

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Additionally, Operation Lone Star engineers have installed a new anti-climb barrier along the border wall that is meant to prevent people from using ladders to climb over the wall, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

The barrier also has concertina wire attached to further disincentivize unlawful migrants from climbing the wall.

In a news release on Friday, Abbott listed other recent accomplishments of Operation Lone Star, the joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard.

Since the operation’s inception, the initiative has led to the seizure of more than 450 million doses of the drug fentanyl and the apprehension of more than 489,500 unlawful migrants at the border, the release stated.

Despite the efforts of Abbott and the state agencies, unlawful migration has continued to rise in recent months.

Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez said earlier this month that there were 12,000 encounters with unlawful migrants at the southern border in a single day, the highest number ever reported.

Abbott has expressed his opinion that the increase in drug and human smuggling at the border is largely due to the actions of the federal government, specifically calling out President Joe Biden for removing previous policies to combat these crises.

“Just four years ago, we had the lowest number of illegal border crossings in 40 years — and that’s because President Trump put in place four policies: the Remain in Mexico policy, the Title 42 policy, the end of catch and release, and building a border wall,” said Abbott in the press release.

“When [President] Biden came in, he eliminated all of those four policies. [Members of] Congress are negotiating with the Biden Administration on policies that would provide extraordinary relief — if not eliminate — all of the illegal border crossings.”

Despite the criticisms from Abbott, Biden has said that his administration is “expanding legal pathways for migrants from select countries to lawfully enter the United States, increasing humanitarian assistance, and imposing additional consequences for individuals who attempt to enter the United States unlawfully.”

“Immigration has always been essential to America, enriching our economy, our culture, and our values. But our current immigration system is a relic of the past, leaving a difficult challenge without easy solutions,” wrote Biden in a statement sent to The Dallas Express.

“I am doing everything in my power to take steps to manage the border in a safe, orderly, and humane manner while honoring the promise of America that has led generations of immigrants to become part of our Nation’s fabric.”