EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – On Thursday, June 8, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed numerous border security bills into law and announced that border buoy barriers would immediately be deployed along the Rio Grande to prevent people from getting to the border.
“What we’re doing right now, we’re securing the border. At the border where these buoys will be, will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border,” said Governor Greg Abbott.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Director said the buoys will first be deployed in Eagle Pass, Texas.
“Family units that come across the river between the forced entry or risking themselves and their family members to put themselves in harm’s way, and the only one that benefits no one, is enabled, enriched, and empowered of the Mexican cartels when that happens,” said Colonel Steve McCraw the Director of Texas DPS.
The border security bills that were signed into law include Senate Bill (SB) 1484 authorizing the Texas DPS to train local law enforcement officials on cartel-related activity and how local law enforcement can help DPS to secure the border.
SB 1900 was signed by Abbott designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations under state law with higher penalties for criminal activity.
A bill authored by Senator Cesar Blanco SB 1133 now allows Texas to compensate farmers for border-related damage to their properties.
“In West Texas, I’ve heard from many farmers and ranchers who have experienced significant and costly damage from trafficking and smuggling activity. And some of the biggest problems that we’ve heard is fence damage, livestock escaping because of the fence damage we’ve heard about crop damage,” said Senator Cesar Blanco D-El Paso.
SB 602 was also signed giving border patrol agents the power to arrest, search, and seize for any felony offense under Texas law at a port of entry or border patrol traffic checkpoint.
Another bill now law is SB 1403 which allows the governor to collaborate with interested states that would not require approval from Congress. Allowing those states to share law enforcement intelligence on illegal activity at the border and resources to build a physical barrier.
