Secure & Sovereign Texas seeks to bring additional state options to secure the border by highlighting the current situation as it is.

The tremendous increase in the number of illegal crossings at the southern border and in the flow of illegal and lethal drugs clearly shows that the federal government has abdicated its responsibility to secure the border. Meanwhile, Mexican drug cartels, which profit from illegal smuggling of both migrants and drugs, are putting Americans’ lives in peril. This has forced the state of Texas to step in and take measures requiring a colossal investment in Texan taxpayer money and manpower.

The policy recommendations that follow aim to:

• Help restore order at the border.

• Ensure Texas’ sovereignty by targeting Mexican drug cartels and corrupt Mexican elites in Texas.

• Protect Texans and Americans while enhancing the moral integrity of the Texas–Mexico relationship, which we seek to preserve.

Target corrupt Mexican elites in Texas. Texas should create a list similar to the federal “Engel list” that would report on corrupt Mexican elites doing any sort of business in Texas. The state could sanction them financially, limit their access to Texas state universities, or prevent Texas government from contracting with businesses linked to people on the list or state pension funds to invest in those businesses.

Unify the Texas border security leadership. Texas should consolidate border security responsibilities among the various state agencies involved to create a “Texas Border Command.” The Texas Border Command would support enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement presence across the Texas–Mexico border region and would become the state’s go-to leadership for issues related to border security.

Make the border security state apparatus more efficient and cost-effective. Texas should conduct an audit of the resources (financial resources, manpower, technology, communication between agencies) used by the state border security apparatus and how they are allocated. The audit should generate recommendations to render the apparatus more efficient. The audit should also focus on how much of the resources used by the state of Texas to alleviate the border crisis results in fewer resources to protect Texans in the rest of the state.

Strengthen local courts’ capacity to process migrant trespass charges. Texas should make sure that the local court system has the capacity to keep up with the number of arrests for criminal trespass by migrants that DPS is making by planning on adding judges in places where they are needed.

Aggressively prosecute Mexican cartels–related organized crime in Texas. The Legislature should ensure that the Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (EOCA) statute is as strong as necessary to allow local law enforcement and prosecutors to aggressively prosecute Mexican cartels–related organized crime.

Review and approve agreements signed between Texas local governments and Mexican states and local governments. To ensure constitutional compliance and knowledge of international relations agreements signed between Texas local governments and Mexican local governments, the Legislature should require all such agreements to be reported to the Secretary of State, and for the Secretary of State to approve consequential ones and make all agreements available online.

 

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