Florida among 26 states backing Texas amid ‘border crisis’ legal dispute

Florida is among 26 states that are backing Texas’ border security efforts amid a legal dispute with the Biden administration, according to the Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

That letter was sent on Monday to President Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The letter says that since January 2021, over 6 million “illegal immigrants” have crossed the southern U.S. border.

As a result of the ongoing “border crisis,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent additional law enforcement to the border in March 2021 as part of what has been dubbed “Operation Lone Star.”

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

Aside from illegal immigration, Texas state officials said that the operation is cracking down on human trafficking and drug smuggling efforts.

Since its start, the operation has caught nearly 500,000 undocumented immigrants, made over 30,000 criminal arrests, and seized more than 450 million lethal doses of fentanyl, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood discussed the issue of weak border security with News 6 in 2022, citing it as the cause of several human-trafficking cases and the increase in fentanyl deaths found in Central Florida.

Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office announced that law enforcement agents from Florida would be sent to Texas to help in those efforts.

Some of the measures taken in the operation included placing barbed wire along the border near Eagle Park, which caused illegal border crossings to drop by over two-thirds in some places, the letter explains.

Eagle Park has become one of the busiest places for border crossings, causing the town’s mayor to declare an emergency after nearly 6,000 migrants crossed from the Rio Grande River within two days.

However, some migrants were injured by the sharp wire, and the Biden administration said that the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river.

As such, Border Patrol agents were instructed to cut the wire, though Abbott said he wouldn’t allow them into the town’s Shelby Park, with court documents claiming that the agents had assisted migrants in their journey across the border.

The issue sparked legal action, though a district court determined that the federal government “was ignoring its duty to protect the border,” adding that Border Patrol would still be able to access both sides of the wire without destroying the barrier.

Despite that, a Supreme Court order paused the district court’s injunction last week, meaning that federal agents could no longer be stopped by court order from destroying the wire, the letter states.

The 5-4 decision sparked a backlash among many states, with 25 Republican governors announcing their support of Abbott’s actions last week.

Monday’s letter was signed by Moody and attorney generals from the following 25 states:

The letter argues that Texas is defending itself from an “invasion,” urging the Biden administration to crack down harder on border security.

“Millions of people illegally coming into Texas as part of a coordinated assault on our border is an invasion,” the letter reads. “No State, not even Texas, can handle such an influx of people. And no one — not Texas, not the United States — knows whether any person illegally crossing the border is engaging in additional criminal activity.”

The full letter can be read by scrolling down to the media viewer below.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: