Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to Operation Lone Star and the state’s effort to supplement the insufficient federal response.
In Texas border patrol sectors, there were more than 98,000 encounters with illegal aliens in October, according to the most recent data.
The federal Customs and Border Protection agency reported an average of nearly 96,000 monthly apprehensions in Texas border patrol sectors.
Also in October, there was a seizure of nearly $49 million worth of methamphetamine at the Brownsville port of entry.
Former Sector Chief Rudy Karisch called it a “rash decision” that could adversely impact border security operations.
Democrat Vicente Gonzalez requested a meeting with President Biden to discuss ways to address the surge on the border.
The members of Congress said “there will be unnecessary deaths at our southern border” if Biden does not act.
The Biden administration says the facility is necessary due to the number of beds needed for unaccompanied children.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in narcotics were also seized in unrelated incidents in the Laredo area.
There was a spike in illegal immigrant arrests in the Del Rio region and an increase in the southwest border region overall.
The Justice Department says the narcotics have an estimated street value of $5.4 million.
The president touted the construction of the border wall in a visit to Alamo, Texas.
