Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has reaffirmed the state’s “right to defend from invasion” and denounced the ineffective border tactics of the Biden administration.
In an update on Operation Lone Star, the governor stated that 467 million “lethal doses” of fentanyl had been found and 501,300 illegal aliens had been detained by Texas officials as part of the program, which he started in 2021 in an attempt to control the Texas-Mexico border.
“States have the right to defend against invasion under the U.S. Constitution,” Abbott tweeted on Friday on X. Texas and the US are at risk from the cartels’ lethal fentanyl and people-smuggling operations.
“Texas will continue to do the job Biden has failed to do—secure our southern border.”
Abbott followed this up with a link to a news release his office had issued outlining their claims of Operation Lone Star’s accomplishments.
Abbott’s remarks coincide with the Senate Bill 4 controversy, which opponents have called a “show me your papers” bill as it moves through the legal system. In an effort to get a permanent injunction against the statute, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Texas ACLU, and the Department of Justice have combined their disparate lawsuits into a single action against the state.