Texas Governor Greg Abbott's gamble to dramatically increase secondary vehicle inspections on cars and trucks crossing into Texas from Mexico appears to be paying off.
Gov. Abbott launched the security measure after news of the Biden Administration's decision to lift the CDC's pandemic border emergency, Title 42, circulated. Title 42 allowed federal immigration authorities to turn back migrants at the southern border. Approximately 90,000 illegal border crossers were turned away under the order in February.
According to the Governor, the secondary inspections, completed by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, are necessary to pick up where the current administration is failing to hinder the endless flow of illegal substances and migrants smuggled across the border.
Very quickly, the additional vehicle inspections, which can take up to 45 minutes per vehicle, angered businesses, commuters, and commercial truck drivers on both sides of the border. Earlier this week, The Washington Times reported that “commercial traffic has been “100%” shut down because of the Mexican protests, aimed at Mr. Abbott’s decision to stiffen state inspections on commercial vehicles that cross the border,” with truckers complaining that, “the new inspections take too long and are redundant.”
However, news is circulating that Gov. Abbott’s plan has resulted in three separate Mexican States coming to agreements with Texas to help secure the border from both sides. Because of the pain felt by increased safety inspections, the Mexican states of Nuevo León, Chihuahua, and Coahuila have agreed to deploy their own police forces to patrol the southern side of the Texas-Mexico border.
Earlier this week, the Texas Gov. signed an agreement with Nuevo León Gov. Samuel García. As a result, according to the Mexican Governor, Nuevo León police began implementing their own security measures on the southern side of the Rio Grande River, aimed at intercepting smuggled humans and illicit substances.
The Center Square reported that Texas Gov. Abbott stated at the signing:
Texas has been overrun by a record number of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into Texas with the assistance of cartels. Gov. Garcia and I reached an agreement today that addresses all of these issues.
Nuevo León’s Gov. Garcia stated that his state’s alliance with Texas was “very important.” Adding:
I’m happy to make history because two states are making a memorandum of understanding that we have to help both sides to have a secure border. I wish my neighbors would join us in the memorandum of understanding.
At the end of the signing, Abbott noted that traffic crossing the Laredo-Columbia Bridge, which goes from Texas to Nuevo León, Mexico, “will return to normal effective immediately” and remain that way “as long as Nuevo León executes this historic agreement.”
“Clogged bridges can end only through the type of collaboration that we are demonstrating today between Texas and Nuevo León,” Abbott concluded.
This morning, other news broke that the Mexican Governors of Chihuahua and Coahuila also signed similar “memorandums of understanding” with Gov. Abbott pledging to try to detect and deter migrants from crossing through their respective states en route to the Texas-Mexican Border. In exchange, Gov. Abbott agreed to end all secondary inspections on international bridges crossing between Texas and Chihuahua or Coahuila, Mexico.
The Washington Times reports, “Mr. Abbott says the agreements are the sort of thing the Biden administration should be doing, but he’s had to step in instead to ‘fill in the gaps.’ ‘Until President Biden decides to fulfill his constitutional duty to secure the border, we will continue to do whatever it takes to protect the safety and security of all Texans,’” he added.
The only Mexican state that shares a border with Texas and has not signed a “memorandum of understanding” is Tamaulipas, which stretches from Laredo to the Rio Grande Valley.
UPDATE: On Firday, April 15, Governor Abbott met with Tamaulipas Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca to discuss challenges at the Texas-Mexico border. The Governors signed a memorandum of understanding between the State of Texas and the State of Tamaulipas to enhance border security measures that will prevent illegal immigration from Mexico to Texas. The state of Texas has now signed an MOU will all four Mexican states it shares a border with.
