Texas Counties on the Border and Beyond Declare ‘Invasion’

Officials from several Texas counties along the southern border announced a series of emergency declarations Tuesday to recognize the growing number of migrants in their communities amid what they said was lackluster support from the federal government.

Several county judges asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to dedicate more resources toward addressing illegal immigrant activity at the U.S.-Mexico border and to address the resulting crime and quality of life issues faced by border cities.

The declarations essentially recognized a state of “invasion” of illegal immigrants pouring into communities as local authorities have little-to-no resources to respond.

“We want America to know that this is real,” Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan told reporters in Bracketville. “The Biden administration won’t do a thing about it. They could stop this thing this hour. They could stop it now. They don’t have the guts.”

Some officials said unprecedented illegal immigration has resulted in property damage, stolen vehicles, gun violence and other issues resulting from migrants crossing into their counties, many of which are desolate and have sparse populations.

“In my community, we have less than 1,000 residents. The thousand residents everyday live in fear of the invasion,” said Dale Lynn Carruthers, the county judge for Terrell County. {snip}

Others talked about migrants crossing through school campuses and putting lives in danger while trying to flee U.S. Border Patrol agents and local and state authorities.

In May, Kinney County law enforcement documented more than 4,000 migrants who avoided apprehension by the Border Patrol {snip}

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