Gov. Abbott announces Texas Military Dept. building base camp in Eagle Pass
The governor will hold a news conference starting at about 1 p.m. in Eagle Pass, the border community that's become the center of an ongoing fight between state leaders and the federal government over immigration enforcement.
EAGLE PASS, Texas (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott will hold an event Friday afternoon to make a "border security announcement," though details of what that will actually entail are not known at this time.
The governor will hold a news conference starting at about 1 p.m. in Eagle Pass, the border community that's become the center of an ongoing fight between state leaders and the federal government over immigration enforcement. Abbott's office said Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks will join him.
Abbott recently led two high-profile delegations to Eagle Pass. He hosted a Feb. 4 briefing with more than a dozen Republican governors from across the country. He thanked them for supporting Texas in its ongoing dispute with the Biden administration over the state’s authority at the border.
On Feb. 8, he went back there with several Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives. Most of the lawmakers represented districts far from south Texas, but they said the people they represent know the importance of stopping illegal immigration goes far beyond the border.
About a month ago, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled against Texas for action taken in Eagle Pass. By a vote of 5-4, the justices allowed Border Patrol agents to cut or clear out concertina wire that the state put along the banks of the Rio Grande there to deter migrants from entering the U.S. illegally. The Justice Department argued the barrier impeded the U.S. government’s ability to patrol the border, including coming to the aid of migrants in need of help.
Abbott had authorized the razor wire as part of aggressive measures that he said were needed to curb illegal crossings from Mexico.
Friday's news conference also comes a day after a federal court hearing over the state's new novel immigration enforcement law. Senate Bill 4 faces a challenge by the Department of Justice and civil rights groups who argue the law is “plainly unconstitutional and anti-immigrant.”
The law, which is set to take effect on March 5, would empower state and local law enforcement to arrest suspected illegal immigrants and order them back across the border. The law creates a new state crime for crossing into Texas outside of a port of entry, punishable as a Class B misdemeanor. Repeat offenders could face a state jail felony, and state magistrate judges may order them to return to Mexico.
While the federal judge said Thursday he sympathized with Texas’ border challenges and affirmed the state is under pressure, he appeared skeptical of the state throughout its arguments and asked many questions throughout the hearing.
Counsel on both sides asked the judge to rule as soon as possible. The judge said he would carefully analyze the arguments and reach a decision with “plenty of time” before SB 4 goes into effect but added he has full expectations this case will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.