Gov. Abbott is now putting barriers along Texas border with New Mexico

John C. Moritz, Corpus Christi Caller Times
Updated ·3 min read
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Gov. Greg Abbott has opened a second front is his multibillion-dollar border security operation, this time installing barriers between Texas and its neighboring state of New Mexico.

"Migrants are entering New Mexico illegally then crossing into Texas," the three-term Republican said this week on X, formerly Twitter. "We are stopping it."

Texas National Guard troops placed concertina wire along the Rio Grande by Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico and Texas
Texas National Guard troops placed concertina wire along the Rio Grande by Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico and Texas

The social media post featured photos of National Guard soldiers in camouflage fatigues laying concertina wire along the Rio Grande as the river bends north from its border with Mexico to form Texas' border with New Mexico.

The activity makes good on Abbott's promise during a trip to New York City late last month when he told a conservative audience that migrants were bypassing the miles of razor wire and fencing along the Texas side of the Rio Grande near El Paso by moving to the west.

"Not only are we building a border of barriers between the border of Texas and Mexico," Abbott said during a Sept. 27 appearance sponsored by the Manhattan Institute. "We're also having now to build border barriers between Texas and New Mexico."

Texas National Guard place concertina wire near the banks of the Rio Grande that is directly in front of Sunland Park, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, Monday, October 9, 2023.
Texas National Guard place concertina wire near the banks of the Rio Grande that is directly in front of Sunland Park, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, Monday, October 9, 2023.

The Texas Military Department said the newly installed razor wired north of downtown El Paso across from New Mexico's Sunland Park builds in the 18 miles of concertina wire the National Guard has laid on El Paso's border with Mexico.

"We are now fortifying the border between Texas and New Mexico to block migrants who are entering New Mexico illegally and then crossing into Texas," the Military Department said in an unsigned statement. "The effort in El Paso was bolstered by the recent deployment of the Texas Tactical Border Force to El Paso. The Texas National Guard remains focused on operations to prevent, deter, and interdict transnational criminal activity and illegal immigration along the border."

Once migrants cross into New Mexico they typically travel by vehicle or they, if seeking asylum, surrender to Border Patrol agents. The Border Patrol staffs checkpoints along at least six roadways near the Texas-New Mexico state lines.

A spokesperson for Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declined to comment on Abbott's latest move.

Migrants breach concertina wire set by the Texas National Guard at the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas on Sept. 20, 2023.
Migrants breach concertina wire set by the Texas National Guard at the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas on Sept. 20, 2023.

More: Abbott to New Yorkers: Biden at fault for the 15,000 migrants Texas has sent to their city

The area along the Texas-Mexico border near El Paso is heavily fortified with wire and fencing. Mayor Oscar Leeser and the El Paso City Council on Tuesday extended emergency orders relating the influx of migrants crossing unlawfully from Mexico.

The council said the pace has dipped to about 700 per day, according to city of El Paso's dashboard that monitors migrant activity. Under the extended orders first issued in late May and now in effect for 30 more days, the city and non-profit organizations can provide shelter for the migrants.

A migrant from Venezuela walks south on a highway heading to Chihuahua, Mexico after deciding to head back home after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the U.S. to seek asylum The migrant did not have money to return home and was determined to walk back to South America.
A migrant from Venezuela walks south on a highway heading to Chihuahua, Mexico after deciding to head back home after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the U.S. to seek asylum The migrant did not have money to return home and was determined to walk back to South America.

More: Biden administration plans to build border wall in Starr County despite campaign promise

In late September, Leeser warned that the pace of immigrants flooding into El Paso had put the city at the "breaking point." On a single day, about 2,000 migrants were processed by federal authorities and that many more were waiting across the border in Juarez, the mayor said at the time.

Texas National Guard troops placed concertina wire along the Rio Grande by Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico and Texas.
Texas National Guard troops placed concertina wire along the Rio Grande by Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico and Texas.

Texas lawmakers have allocated around $10 billion to date for the border security initiative called Operation Lone Star that Abbott launched in 2021. During the special legislative session that began this week, the governor is calling on lawmakers to enact additional measures to crack down on human smuggling and "stash houses" and to increase penalties for entering Texas from Mexico without legal authorization.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, @JohnnieMo.

Migrants walk along the north embankment of the Rio Grande as they look for an area to breach the concertina wire set by the Texas National Guard on the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas on Sept. 20, 2023.
Migrants walk along the north embankment of the Rio Grande as they look for an area to breach the concertina wire set by the Texas National Guard on the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas on Sept. 20, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Gov. Greg Abbott is now fortifying Texas border with New Mexico