A coalition of several influential political organizations from across the state has sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking that he expand the scope of the upcoming special session to include legislation on border security.
Spearheaded by Texans for Strong Borders, other groups in the coalition include the Young Republicans of Texas, True Texas Project, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Republicans for National Renewal, Defend Texas Liberty, Texas Eagle Forum, and several county-level GOP organizations.
“The invasion at the Texas Border is worsening by the day as more and more illegal aliens cross into our state in overwhelming numbers,” the letter explains. “While the failure at the Texas Border rests squarely on President Joe Biden and his administration, the state of Texas must step into the gap.”
Although the coalition and many other Texas leaders lay the blame for the mass unlawful migration at the president’s feet, the White House maintains that the Biden administration is handling border security well.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed, “The president has done more to secure the border and to deal with this issue of immigration than anybody else,” per Fox News.
“He really has!” she said. “Look, the president has done what he can from here, from the federal government, from the White House to put forth and manage our border in a safe and humane way to respect the dignity of every human, as he says all the time, and making sure that our communities are safe.”
Yet the organizations who signed the letter to Abbott emphasize that the southern border remains unsecured and a threat to the state.
“We write to you today to urge you to address the invasion at the Texas Border, and to call a special session of the Texas Legislature to pass legislation ending subsidies for illegal aliens and protecting the security and sovereignty of our state,” they wrote.
Specifically, the letter requests that additional authority be used to repel unlawful migrants at the border and deport any who do enter Texas.
“Addressing the crisis at the Texas Border will require more than concertina wire and buoy barriers,” the letter suggests. “It requires the construction of permanent barriers and the deploying [of] armed individuals to deter, detain, and return illegal aliens who cross the Texas Border back into Mexico.”
Additionally, the groups asked for the Texas Legislature to pass laws requiring employers to verify that workers are legal citizens.
“Currently across the State of Texas, public and private entities are hiring illegal aliens illegally to increase their bottom line. … This does nothing but hurt honest, hard-working Texans who are here legally, and punish business owners who are trying to do the right thing.”
Pointing out that Texas already requires “the use of E-Verify for state employees and state contractors,” the coalition suggested that the expanded use of such a program would “ensure all those employed in Texas have legal standing to stop selling Texans short.”
Lastly, the letter conveys concern over foreign nationals and unlawful migrants being able to purchase land, specifically referencing the alleged “Colonia” in the Colony Ridge development outside Houston that The Dallas Express has covered.
“Citizens of hostile nations and illegal aliens should not be part of the Texas real estate market,” it argues.
“Governor, we urge you to take immediate action on these pressing issues and either call a special session to address them or add them to the call of another special session,” the letter concludes. “Texas is under siege. It’s time to fight back.”
Several lawmakers have also requested Gov. Abbott add border security-related legislation to the upcoming special session call as the situation continues to worsen, as reported by The Dallas Express. Abbott has also begun taking more dramatic action to stem the historic tide of unlawful mass migration, including dispatching elite state troopers to reclaim islands used as hubs for cartel activity in the Rio Grande.