Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Statement on Senate Resolution 535 Declaring the Border Crisis an Emergency



 

“Congress must fund additional personnel, technology and barriers needed to fully secure the border.”

 

AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued the following statement after the Texas Senate adopted Senate Resolution 535 – Declaring the Border Crisis an Emergency:

“The Texas Senate adopted Senate Resolution 535 today to make it crystal clear to Congress that the crisis at the border is very real. This past weekend, border officials announced what was obvious to millions of Texans — the situation at the border is at the breaking point.

“President Trump is right that emergency action must be taken immediately, including increasing personnel, enhancing technology and building barriers where they are needed. For those of us who live in this state with 1,254 miles of border, the fact of this emergency is not debatable. In Texas, we are calling on Congress to take immediate action to secure the border.”

The unprecedented massive influx of illegal immigrants currently crossing the border — including 100,000 in the past month and an estimated one million in the past year — is a crisis that threatens the security of Texas communities. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 194,000 criminal aliens were booked into Texas jails from 2011 to 2019 and were charged with more than 299,000 criminal offenses. Illegal immigration also costs Texas taxpayers billions in increased educational and medical costs.

Since he was elected, Lt. Gov. Patrick has made border security a top priority. He has allocated $1.6 billion in the budget for additional boots on the ground at the border as well as boats and other surveillance equipment. An additional $800,000 is included in the new budget.

 

ATTACHMENT:

 (PDF) Senate Resolution 535 (2 MB, PDF)