With armored vehicles, Texas seeks to deter immigrants at US border – 11/21/2022

Texas will deploy armored military vehicles along its border with Mexico as part of a plan to curb illegal entry into the United States, local officials said Monday.

The announcement comes a month after the end of a health measure used to stop people seeking asylum in the country, marking a mass influx of applicants waiting for a chance to cross the border into Mexico. Conservative Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he considered the situation an “invasion.”

“The National Guard is deploying 10 M113 armored personnel carriers along the southern border of Texas and Mexico, in addition to increasing airlift and security efforts,” the Texas Department of Defense said Monday following a consultation with AFP. On Friday, The Texas Tribune anticipated part of this information.

“These measures are part of a broader strategy to use all available tools to combat record levels of illegal immigration,” the agency explained.

“The Texas National Guard is taking unprecedented steps to secure our border and to deter and deport immigrants attempting to cross the border illegally,” he added.

The migration of citizens from various parts of Latin America through Mexico to the United States, in search of better living conditions, has grown significantly in recent months.

From October 2021 to September 2022, US authorities intercepted 2.3 million migrants at its border with Mexico, according to official data.

Last week, Republican Abbott sent a letter to US President Joe Biden in which he blamed him for implementing the “open borders” policy, which has fueled an “unprecedented illegal immigration crisis” and forced Texas to “fend for itself.”

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© Agence France-Presse