Texas continues to build a wall along the border with Mexico, and a Democrat sheriff has lauded Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The contentious Operation Lone Star, which allowed Texas National Guard troops and state troopers to apprehend illegal immigrants, started in March 2021 and has cost billions of dollars. Texas is the sole state that is constructing its own border wall. Abbott is responsible for the initiative.
Abbott has the endorsement of Val Verde County, Texas, Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez. Martinez believes the wall is more of a national security problem than a political one. The wall protects his border neighborhood, he claims, so he supports Abbott’s actions.
Martinez expressed gratitude for Governor Abbott’s efforts to the west of the state. Those measures will safeguard neighborhoods and contribute to their overall safety. Hopefully, technology can fill in the gaps so that agents or people can react since there are still some holes in that fence.
Mexico and Val Verde County share 110 miles on the border.
For four years, the Trump administration added 52 miles of new wall along the 1,254-mile border between Mexico and Texas.
According to Martinez, the latest partially built concertina wire structure is unattractive and useless because it is mostly composed of chicken wire. It would be ideal if there were simply one continuous barrier.
Residents in Val Verde, Maverick, Cameron, Starr, and Webb counties have seen the construction of additional border walls as part of Operation Lone Star.
Operation Lone Star has resulted in over 511,600 apprehensions of illegal migrants and over 43,100 arrests of criminals, with over 38,000 felony charges, according to Abbott’s most recent weekly report on the operation. Since 2021, more than 481 million fatal doses of fentanyl have been confiscated by Texas law enforcement, according to the report.
Texas escalated a dispute with President Joe Biden’s administration over immigration enforcement in January when it took authority over Shelby Park, a riverfront in Eagle Pass. It is one of the busiest spots for people trying to enter the United States.
The Supreme Court ruled that razor wire Texas had installed along the Rio Grande banks to discourage illegal immigrants from entering the country may be cut or removed by Border Patrol officials.
Texas responded, saying it had a constitutional right to self-defense. The governor put up more razor wire along the border.
