Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a revised disaster declaration in response to the ongoing border crisis, stripping major high-traffic areas from his original declaration.

Originally issued in late May, the declaration included 34 counties along and near the Texas-Mexico border. His revised declaration now only includes 28 counties.

Notably absent from the revised declaration are El Paso, Hidalgo, Webb, Starr, and Cameron counties, which were on the original declaration. These counties include the cities of El Paso, McAllen, Edinburg, Laredo, Rio Grande City, Brownsville, and Harlingen.

El Paso and Laredo have been identified as the most dangerous border towns in Texas, according to a report from the FBI.

In early June, Abbott held a border security summit, where he previewed an announcement he made a week later to build a border wall. Abbott also mentioned other efforts to secure the border, such as the inception of a task force and a renewed effort to participate in an existing interstate compact requesting logistical and personnel support from other states.

In a statement, Abbott framed the revision as focusing efforts where resources are needed most:

“I am grateful for our local partners in our South Texas and border communities who are willing to work alongside the State to keep Texans safe and secure the border. This amended declaration will ensure that resources and support are surged where they are needed most.”

Abbott’s new statewide disaster declaration now only applies if the local jurisdiction has also passed a disaster declaration on its own accord.

Former President Donald Trump will meet with Abbott on the border this Wednesday.

Jeramy Kitchen

Jeramy Kitchen serves as the Capitol Correspondent for Texas Scorecard as well as host of 'This Week in Texas', a show previewing the week ahead in Texas politics. After managing campaigns for conservative legislators across the state, serving as Chief of Staff for multiple conservative state legislators, and serving as Legislative Director for the largest public policy think tank in Texas, Jeramy moved outside of the Austin bubble to focus on bringing transparency to the legislative process.

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