Gov. Greg Abbott calls for investigation into immigration groups
Thousands of illegal border crossings have taken place in El Paso since the weekend.
More migrants are staying in camps on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. In anticipation of a coming surge, Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday, steps were being done to prepare.
"We're involved in strategies as we speak right now, whether it be the National Guard or the Texas Department of Public Safety, to both increase our presence, and increase our strategies to reduce the flow across the border," said Governor Abbott.
Governor Abbott made his comments after meeting with a delegation from Finland. The gathering was for the signing of a trade agreement that could help Finland defend its border with Russia.
The Texas border was the topic of another document that the governor also signed. It was sent a few minutes earlier to Attorney General Ken Paxton. Abbott wants a state investigation into private groups that may be coordinating mass crossings. He stopped just short of calling those groups human traffickers. But the investigation could change that with enforcement crackdowns and new legislation to guarantee prosecutions.
United States Border Patrol agent Carlos Rivera is reflected in the window of a vehicle as he speaks to another agent along the border wall in downtown El Paso, Texas on June 3, 2022. - (Photo by Paul Ratje / AFP) (Photo by PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty I
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"Smuggling is already a crime, and we need to make sure that it's punished. And we need to take, we need to eliminate, discretion by district attorneys and create a mandatory minimum so that these people who are involved in smuggling will pay a price," said Governor Abbott.
Paxton quickly responded. He announced an expansion of his investigation into the Texas Bar Foundation. The attorney general is targeting 3 organizations, American Gateways, Tahirih Justice Center, and Equal Justice Center.
Abbott wants to know if the bar has diverted taxpayer and charity money to fund illegal crossings. The Governor also ordered a border truck inspection initiative around El Paso.
It’s a scaled back version of a larger crackdown in April, which was criticized for hindering legitimate trade with Mexico. The action did force Mexican governors to do some border security enforcement.
"One thing they have found in the past, when we did this last time, there were numerous vehicles coming across the border that were either unsafe or who had drivers that were not licensed. And so they will make sure that anybody coming across the border will be safe," said Abbott.
The Governor did not say if he was going to call up additional personnel from DPSs and the National Guard to address the expected rush across the border.