AUSTIN, Texas — Claims by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) that Texas’s border security initiative has led to a decrease in illegal immigrants is backed up by the federal government’s statistics, according to a Washington Examiner analysis.
Immigrants traversing Mexico to get into the United States are increasingly bypassing the Texas border to cross into Arizona and California in the wake of Abbott’s stepped-up enforcement.
The numbers show how the percentage of arrests in Texas versus other border states has shifted. In 2021, 69% of illegal immigrant arrests across the southern border occurred in Texas.
As Abbott stepped up security at the start of the Biden administration in 2021, arrests of illegal crossers began to fall and dropped to just 34% last month.
“In Texas, we’ve been able to achieve a decrease in illegal crossings only because of great teamwork,” Abbott said during a press conference in Eagle Pass on Thursday afternoon. “Part of that teamwork is our partnership with the Texas National Guard, and we are currently working with the Texas Military Department to add more razor wire, anti-climb barrier, and personnel.”