County declares invasion at the southern border

ELLIS COUNTY – If you have lived in Texas for any amount of time, you know what the media has told you is happening at the Texas state border.

In May, Texas State Representative Brian Harrison, District 10, and his colleagues in the Texas Freedom Caucus renewed their call for a declaration of invasion at the southern border stating they believe Texas has the authority, “and it’s high time we use it.” 

Earlier this month, the Ellis County Commissioner’s Court weighed in on the subject too when on Aug. 23, the court unanimously passed a resolution calling upon and supporting the governor to utilize all available military and law enforcement resources to secure the southern border.

The resolution was originally introduced by Ellis County Judge Todd Little and County Commissioner Paul Perry, pct. 3.

At the Aug. 25 Commissioners’ Court meeting, more than two hours were spent allowing members of the public to comment on the resolution, with most visitors speaking in favor.

Harrison said he applauded Ellis County for declaring the Biden border crisis to be an invasion.

In a statement from Little’s office he said, “Article IV, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution establishes the Governor as ‘Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the State’, which may be called upon to execute the laws of the State, to suppress insurrections, and to repel invasions.

“As such, the organized human trafficking and drug smuggling operations conducted by international cartels across the southern border ‘may constitute an invasion’ the Ellis County resolution states, and has ‘resulted in a humanitarian disaster with overwhelming consequences to the residents of Texas.’”

Little added the open border represents “a systematic trespass against our sovereignty by individuals and groups that prey upon the innocent.

“This is unacceptable for Texas, and our resolution encourages the use of all lawfully available authority to defend the State of Texas and her citizens.”

Ellis County’s resolution cites the fact “since January 2021, more than 3.2 million illegal aliens have been apprehended after unlawfully entering the United States.

“More than 800,000 illegal aliens have avoided apprehension while unlawfully entering the United States and remain unaccounted for within our nation. 

“So far this year, CBP has identified more than 50 known terrorists who have unlawfully entered the United States through our border with Mexico. The unprecedented amount of human trafficking, combined with the smuggling of fentanyl and other opioids infiltrating our southern border has killed over 71,238 American citizens.”

Harrison said “The United States is supposed to be a nation of laws and a nation of borders. President Biden wants neither.”

Harrison went on to say that while it is unprecedented, given that Texas is the first impacted and the most impacted by the Biden Border Crisis, “we must do the job Biden refuses to do and secure the border ourselves using every tool and legal authority available.”

Ellis County, who joined nearly 20 other communities across Texas that have passed similar resolutions, is the largest county to pass such a resolution.

“The consequences of our porous southern border have a felt impact in Ellis County,” concluded Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman. “Our incidents of human trafficking and illegal narcotics seizures are amongst just a few of the increased impacts we are seeing. The human toll and financial burden created as a result of our open southern border is not sustainable and needs to be fixed.”