TEXAS, USA — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and 25 other Republican governors have started a new coalition to increase security at the border.
According to documents filed in federal court this week, Border Patrol saw a 34% increase in migrant encounters last month compared to February.
That increase in migrants has the governors concerned as the end of Title 42 nears. Title 42 is the policy that was created during the pandemic that made it easier to send migrants back to their home countries. The order was issued to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the policy is ending next month.
The enforcement change is why Abbott and the other governors say they launched the "American Governors' Border Strike Force." The coalition is essentially an agreement between states that allows them to share information and work together to fight drug and human smuggling, among other crimes.
The states involved in the effort are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
In an interview with Fox News, Abbott said the states will do the job he believes the federal government has failed to do.
"This is an indictment on the Biden administration and its failure to do its fundamental job of national security and securing our border," Abbott said.
The White House has not commented on the new coalition, but a new report shows the Biden administration is taking a different approach. The report, released Tuesday, discusses the adminstration's strategy to address the root causes of migration from Central America.
Federal leaders say private groups have committed more than $1 billion to create jobs and opportunities in the region. The U.S. and its allies have also invested millions of dollars in health care, education and food access in Central American countries.
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