Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Friday that the state was building an 80-acre military base near the busiest border crossing of Eagle Pass. The facility is part of the state's $10 billion "Operation Lone Star" which is designed to stop the massive influx of illegal aliens into Texas.
The new facility will house between 1,800 to 2,300 soldiers with each soldier getting their own individual rooms.
“Before this effort here, they had been living in conditions that were atypical for military operations,” Abbott said during a news conference in Eagle Pass. “Because of the magnitude of what we're doing, because of the need to sustain and actually expand our efforts of what we're doing, it's essential that we build this base camp for the soldiers.”
Abbott said that the troops are currently "scattered around the area, living in tents, hotels and private residences, and some have to drive an hour to get to Eagle Pass," according to the Texas Tribune.
Since launching Operation Lone Star in March 2021, Abbott has sent state troopers and the National Guard to different parts of the state’s 1,200-mile border with Mexico. An estimated 3,000 Texas soldiers are now deployed to the border, where they have helped state troopers apprehend migrants — many of whom were charged with trespassing on private land — erect barriers on land and water; and most recently, block U.S. Border Patrol agents from entering a city park in Eagle Pass that the state enclosed with concertina wire.
No cost of the facility was given but it's certainly got to be less than putting the soldiers up in hotel rooms
In addition to individual rooms, the base will feature "a dining facility, a recreation center, laundry facilities, and health care facilities," according to a statement from Abbott's office.
Abbott's action is another act of defiance against Joe Biden and the federal government. Texas state troopers and National Guardsmen are still preventing federal border patrol agents from gaining access to Shelby Park, the area that abuts the Rio Grand River and was used as a migrant processing center. And Abbott is not only refusing to obey a Supreme Court order to remove the razor wire near Eagle Pass but the state has erected additional wire along the border.
Biden isn't stupid enough to challenge these acts of defiance. The border is a powder keg right now and any offensive action taken by Biden is likely to lead to bloodshed.
But eventually, matters will come to a head at the border. And the state vs. federal government drama that has played out during the entirety of our nation's history will once again be brought front and center.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member