Potentially thousands of protestors will rally in Austin, Texas, this weekend to demand that the state make a greater effort to secure the southern border against unlawful migration and prevent the related humanitarian issues that result from so many border crossings.
Attendees will gather outside the Capitol building on April 29 from 1 to 4 p.m., where they will hear from several speakers.
The “How Many More?” event is supposed to urge the State of Texas to act independently of the federal government to secure the southern border.
“The failure of our current border policies makes every American complicit in the spread of human misery,” the promotional website reads. “We will no longer accept the erosion of America or its values by allowing the humanitarian crisis at our southern border to continue.”
It goes on to question:
“[How many more] Texans must be threatened, extorted, and held hostage on their own properties? [How many more] Texas communities must see their hospitals and schools overrun by non-citizens? [How many more] Americans must die from Fentanyl poisoning? … [How many more] illegal immigrants must be raped, drowned, murdered and see their children sold into slavery?”
To resolve the issue, How Many More? is asking lawmakers to “declare an invasion of our southern border,” to “define Mexican cartels as terror organizations,” to “seize cartel bank accounts and assets,” and to “establish a Texas border defense unit to protect Texans.”
Featured speakers include musician Ted Nugent, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd, media personality George Rodriguez, and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
Nugent, famous for several platinum albums and a couple of shows on the Outdoor Channel, told the Washington Examiner:
“It dazzles most Texans that Gov. Abbott has not secured the Texas border. He has expressed a willingness to engage on this issue but there hasn’t been enough concrete action taken to actually solve the glaring crisis.”
Mark Meckler, the president of the Convention of States, will also present during the rally.
“It’s time for our legislature and Governor to do everything in their power to repel the invasion at our Southern border … Washington, DC isn’t going to get the job done, and the time to end the humanitarian crisis is now,” Meckler explained, per the Austin Journal.
In a separate interview, Meckler told the Daily Caller, “What we’re saying is that we as Texans have a special obligation to protect Texas, but also to protect the country … It’s our border.”
The rally will support the passage of HB 20. Authored by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), it has the support of over 50 other representatives who have signed on as co-authors.
HB 20 seeks to “ensure the safety and welfare of the southern border region of this state, including protection from ongoing criminal activity and public health threats.”
To accomplish some of these goals, HB 20 would create the Border Protection Unit, a new state law enforcement entity, to secure the border regions. It would also issue a formal declaration of invasion as defined in Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution.
If enacted, HB 20’s Border Protection Unit would “deter and repel persons attempting to enter the State of Texas illegally,” “return aliens to Mexico who have been observed actually crossing the Mexican border illegally,” and “use force to repel, arrest, and detain known transnational cartel operatives in the border region.”
The bill has been referred to the State Affairs Committee and received several days of public hearings but was ultimately left pending. There are currently only 30 days left in the regular session of the Texas Legislature.
