Texas Governor Creates New Border Force Before Title 42 Expires

A tragic incident occurred in Brownsville, Texas on Sunday when a driver plowed into a group of migrants, killing eight people and injuring another 10 individuals. All of the victims were believed to be migrants from Venezuela waiting on the expiration of Title 42, an immigration restriction that was initially implemented as a public health measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restriction is set to expire on May 11th when the public health emergency ends.

In preparation for the potential increase in border crossings following the expiration of Title 42, U.S. officials are bracing themselves for potentially receiving as many as 10,000 arrivals each day. The situation has prompted the Department of Defense to deploy 1,500 active-duty troops to the Southern border to help border patrol agents.

The Biden administration has indicated that it will use an expedited removal process to deport migrants and stop them from returning for five years. This new approach is expected to go hand in hand with another policy that states that a migrant must show that they attempted to seek refuge in another country before arriving in the U.S.

In light of these developments, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has unveiled a new specialized border response force called the Texas Tactical Border Force. Governor Abbott made the announcement at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday.

While Governor Abbott supported President Trump for having sent soldiers to the border to secure it, he criticized President Biden’s decision to send only 1,500 “paperwork” soldiers to handle the situation. He suggested that the Biden administration needed 15,000 or possibly even 150,000 troops to secure the border, considering the open border policies they had implemented.

Since its inception, Title 42 has resulted in the expulsion of over 2.7 million migrants from the Southern border. As officials continue to explore ways to address and manage the influx of migrants, the US government remains committed to their efforts to secure and manage the border while also ensuring that migrants are treated fairly. Stay tuned for more updates on the situation.