Texas pivots from feuding with Biden over the border to providing the blueprint for Trump
CNN
Texas is quickly becoming the blueprint for how incoming Trump officials expect to work with states on border security – a stark pivot from recent years when it was the epicenter of a bitter feud between state and federal officials.
Texas is quickly becoming the blueprint for how incoming Trump officials expect to work with states on border security – a stark pivot from recent years when it was the epicenter of a bitter feud between state and federal officials. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott challenged President Joe Biden at almost every turn on the handling of the US southern border, as the state grappled with multiple border surges. The ongoing feud has resulted in a slew of lawsuits over Texas’ operations and public spats over the handling of the border. As part of his Operation Lone Star, launched in 2021, Abbott transported migrants on buses to Democratic-led cities, blocked a portion of the border to federal agents, set up buoys in the Rio Grande to deter migrants, and signed a bill into law that would give state law enforcement the authority to detain migrants, among other measures. The state also recently announced a new unit of troopers that will patrol the border on horseback. “We’re not letting up at all,” Abbott said last week on Fox News’ “Hannity.” In a spate of recent announcements, Texas said it would offer up to 1,400 acres of land for the government to use for detention centers and introduced a new unit of troopers to patrol the border on horseback. Those moves have frustrated the Biden White House. But Texas’ preparations to bolster its operation on the US southern border is serving as a roadmap for how President-elect Donald Trump’s team plans to lean on states as part of its immigration plans, according to two sources familiar with discussions.
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