Abbott doubles down on 'invasion' declaration and vows to reinstall defenses after Eagle Pass declares state of emergency: 'Not all of these people come in peace'

Gov. Greg Abbott indicated Wednesday that Texas will shore up border defenses at the beleaguered city of Eagle Pass amidst an unprecedented surge of illegal aliens who appear to be largely single males. The Republican governor further stressed that the Democratic president's policies were responsible for the "invasion" under way.

The Biden administration, which has failed to stop over 5.8 million illegal aliens from stealing into the U.S. since January 2021, has not only worked ardently to prevent the Lone Star State from securing its border with Mexico but has also considered the possibility of corralling the invading hordes inside Texas.

Nowhere has this frustrative effort been more brazen than at Eagle Pass, where the Democratic administration successfully ensured the dismantling of Texas' floating border barrier along the Rio Grande.

Abbott posted a video to X Wednesday of what appear to be federal agents with wire cutters, noting, "Texas installed razor wire in Eagle Pass to stop illegal crossing. Today the Biden Admin CUT that wire, opening the floodgates to illegal immigrants. I immediately deployed more Texas National Guard to repel illegal crossings & install more razor wire."

Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. told the New York Times that migrants, not federal officials, apparently cut three sections of the concertina wire.

"Once they cut it, it kind of opened the floodgates," said Salinas.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Despite swift corrective action by the Texas National Guard, the damage has appears to have been done.

Salinas issued and signed an emergency declaration Wednesday due to the surge of illegal aliens into the area, noting, "The emergency declaration grants us the ability to request financial resources to provide the additional services caused by the influx of the undocumented immigrants."

Within a few hours, over 4,000 people crossed the Rio Grande — where Texas had briefly had an effective maritime barrier — and into Eagle Pass, a city with around 29,000 residents. Thousands more are expected to steal across the border on Thursday.

Salinas indicated the latest mob, largely from Venezuela, has overrun Mission Border Hope, the only migrant shelter in Eagle Pass, reported the New York Post.

The city indicated that per the order of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Eagle Pass Bridge 1 had been shut down until further notice owing to the "significant influx of migrants in the region."

Footage from Eagle Pass shows an interminable line largely comprising military-age males marching under Eagle Pass bridge.

"One of the situations is that a lot of these [migrants], they're single males and they don't want to listen to instructions and they're leaving the facility," said Salinas. "Not all of these people come in peace."

WOAI-TV reported that sources with Panama Immigration indicated last week that between 4,000 and 6,000 migrants were marching on the U.S. from Colombia through the Darien Jungle.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told WOAI, "It's gonna happen again. It's been happening over and over and over for the last two years, and I don't see that ending right now."

An end to the "invasion" might require an end to corresponding incentives; however, the Biden administration went the other way this week, indicating late Wednesday that 500,000 illegal aliens from Venezuela will be allowed to stay in the country and work legally, depressing citizen wages, competing for American jobs, and flouting American immigration law.

In response to the latest surge, Abbott reshared his November 2022 "invasion" declaration, in which he wrote, "The federal government's failure [to protect the states against invasion] has forced me to invoke Article 1, § 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, thereby enabling the State of Texas to protect its own territory against invasion by the Mexican drug cartels."

In his declaration, Abbott underscored that Biden's "inaction has led to catastrophic consequences" and that under his watch, "America is suffering the highest volume of illegal immigration in the history of our country."

The Republican governor similarly reiterated Wednesday, "We are building a border wall, razor wire & marine barriers. We are also repelling migrants."

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