DES MOINES, IOWA (August 22, 2023) — Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference Monday, August 21, in Eagle Pass with Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen, Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt, and South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem to provide an update on their joint efforts under Texas' Operation Lone Star to respond to President Joe Biden's reckless open border policies.
"Texas is ground zero, front and center of the border crisis," said Gov Reynolds. "On day one of the Biden Administration, they reversed policies that protect the sovereignty of this country and its citizens. Iowa is located at the intersection of two major interstates, and it is a pathway for Mexican cartels and human traffickers in the Midwest. I thank the fourteen other Governors who have stepped up to do the job that Pres Biden has failed to do. It is time for the President to do his job."
"These Governors here with me today are deploying military and law enforcement officers to help Texas secure the border," said Gov Abbott. "We have fourteen Governors who are deploying personnel to secure the border that Pres Biden has abandoned. Pres Biden is not doing his job, and he is responsible for the largest amount of illegal immigration in the history of the United States and has rolled out a deadly welcome mat with a record number of people dying attempting to cross the border. There is a reason the United Nations has named the border between the United States and Mexico the deadliest land border in the entire world. Pres Biden is responsible for that deadly border, and we're not going to stand idly by. We, as states, share an obligation and that's to step up and address this unparalleled catastrophe caused by Pres Biden."
"Pres Biden continues to let the crisis at the border go unchecked, and it is growing," said Gov Pillen. "This is a national security issue that must be addressed. We stand with Gov Abbott as his state works daily to halt the influx of illegal drugs, weapons, and criminals into the US."
"What we're literally witnessing is a war zone, and it is astonishing to witness our President allow this to happen," said Gov Noem. "The cartels are out for blood, and they are facilitating the trafficking of our children every day. The lack of humanity in these policies. These policies are inhumane of what they're doing to people and these families. This country needs to realize that our President breaks the law and ignores the law. I thank Gov Abbott for all that he's done to fight this fight. I'm all in helping support Operation Lone Star."
"The chaotic scenes at the southern border are a stark reminder of the consequences of disastrous open border policies," said Gov Stitt. "The Biden Administration is asleep at the wheel. Make no mistake, every state has become a border state, but I’m encouraged by my fellow Republican Governors who are stepping up to secure the border. It is essential that we protect our communities by supporting our law enforcement and putting a stop to the flow of illegal drugs pouring into our nation."
The Governor was also joined at the press conference by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.
Prior to the press conference, Gov Abbott held a border security briefing with his fellow Governors where they received updates from Dir McCraw, Major General Suelzer, and Border Czar Banks on the multitude of effective strategies used by Operation Lone Star to secure the border, including Texas' floating marine barriers installed in the Rio Grande River.
During the briefing, Gov Abbott thanked the Governors for their support in Texas' Operation Lone Star border-security mission and highlighted the value of their states' resources being used to secure the border and curtail the influx of illegal immigration, dangerous weapons, and deadly drugs like fentanyl coming into Texas from Mexico.
Dir McCraw outlined the success of Operation Lone Star's border security efforts, noting that just DPS alone has seized over 426 million lethal doses of deadly fentanyl — enough to kill every man, woman, and child in America. He also highlighted the importance of state law enforcement along the border, pointing to their critical role in supporting Border Patrol agents as the first line of defense against surges of illegal immigration between ports of entry.
Maj Gen Suelzer provided an update on Texas’ and other states' National Guard soldiers’ efforts to hold the line, install strategic barriers, and turn back migrants along the Texas-Mexico border. Specifically, Maj Gen Suelzer described soldiers' significance to help push out illegal activity from El Paso by installing eighteen miles of concertina wire in the area and noted that turn-backs have gone up 38 percent with the help of other states.
Border Czar Banks thanked the other Governors for their support in Operation Lone Star's border security efforts and reminded them that Texas knows that border security means national security for the rest of the country. He also corrected claims made about Texas' floating marine barriers, explaining their efficacy as deterrents for illegal, unsafe crossings from Mexico into Texas.
Today's border visit comes after Governor Abbott sent letters to America's Governors in May requesting support for Texas’ border security mission following President Biden's decision to end Title 42.
As of yesterday, fourteen other states — including Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming — have stepped up to support Texas' efforts and deployed personnel and resources to secure the border in Pres Biden's absence.
