Texas National Guard soldiers in El Paso have begun replacing concertina wire, temporarily removed from an area of the Rio Grande last week, with new rows of razor wire. The Georgia National Guard is assisting in installing the barriers to prevent illegal border crossings.
An email to Border Report from the Texas Military Department explained that the wire barriers were removed to allow the International Boundary and Water Commission to perform maintenance and mow a levee, making spotting illegal activity easier.
TMD said that border personnel and security efforts were increased during that time to prevent illegal crossings.
The Texas Army National Guard and Georgia’s National Guard soldiers set up the anti-climb barriers, which consist of concertina wire tied to metal fence posts on the levee.
In a statement on X, Gov. Greg Abbott thanked Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for supporting Texas.
Working together with our partner states, Texas continues to hold the line. Thank you @GovKemp and other Governors who stand with Texas.
Earlier this year, Kemp stated that “every state is now a border state” because of President Joe Biden’s “failure to address the crisis at the southern border.”
“As I recently told Governor Greg Abbott, Texas has Georgia’s support and we stand ready to provide additional resources in the effort to keep Americans safe,” Kemp said.
Abbott’s Operation Lone Star seeks to push back against the Biden administration’s open border policies. The program deploys the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border to repel unlawful crossings and prevent criminal activity.
In addition to measures taken in El Paso, guard soldiers recently established barriers along the border in Eagle Pass.
“Operation Lone Star personnel continue to install more anti-climb barriers in Eagle Pass,” Abbott said on X, and added, “Texas’ historic border mission works day in and day out to fill the dangerous gaps created by Biden’s open border policies.”
However, critics acknowledge that while Operation Lone Star is a start, further steps are needed, such as increased deployment of National Guard personnel and additional training to address the crisis at the border.
Texas Scorecard reported on Tuesday that according to a recent Harvard University survey, immigration is a top concern for Americans, which many believe is not getting any better under President Biden’s policies.
