As illegal aliens continue to pour across the southern border into Texas, three border county officials are calling for an immediate special session to establish a statewide law enforcement agency tasked with fighting border-related crimes.
In a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, Kinney County Judge John Paul Schuster, County Attorney Brent Smith, and Sheriff Brad Coe asked that Abbott call a legislative session “to allow for the passage of Rep. Ryan Guillen’s bill, which establishes a new Texas Homeland Security Division…”
The measure, House Bill 7 by Republican Rep. Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City, would have established a Texas Border Force tasked with implementing border security measures to address the public safety threats posed by transnational criminal organizations operating within Texas.
The letter states that the federal government continually undermines Texas’ efforts to secure the southern border, and thus the state legislature needs to do more to keep Texans safe.
“By abandoning its constitutional duty to preserve the sovereignty of our nation’s borders, the federal government has allowed transnational criminal organizations to invade our borders and bring illicit fentanyl and dangerous criminals into our communities. Words cannot adequately describe the conditions on the ground for those of us living in border communities and major cities where cartel-connected gun violence, break-ins, robberies, and violent sexual crimes continually increase,” reads the letter. “We as Texans no longer feel safe in our own homes, driving on our streets, or walking in our parks.”
The officials add, “It is clear that the urgency of this crisis calls for more action by our State Legislature.”
Alongside the letter, Smith told Texas Scorecard, “Despite their best efforts, Texas law enforcement is struggling to uniformly implement state laws along such a vast border. The complex cartel criminal networks that stretch across the state require a statewide agency to dismantle them. We need the proper tools to confront this crisis.”
Kinney County is nestled between Del Rio and Eagle Pass—which both have legal ports of entry—and has faced unprecedented chaos since the border crisis began in 2021.
In one instance, a human smuggler linked to a cartel drove through 16 properties while attempting to evade Border Patrol. The property owners suffered an estimated $150,000 in damages.
Another incident that occurred in November involved a 17-year-old Honduran national who was responsible for causing a head-on crash that killed himself, two Americans, and five illegal aliens he was attempting to smuggle into the country.
Recently, a Texas State Guard soldier was caught by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Kinney County Sheriff’s Office as he was attempting to smuggle an illegal alien into the country. The soldier confessed that he was allegedly promised $5,000 to $6,000 to transport the illegal alien.
Smith is encouraging Texans across the state to reach out to their elected representatives and ask that they make a similar request to Abbott’s office.
Concerned citizens can contact their state officials using Texas Scorecard’s Elected Officials Directory.
Gov. Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.
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