Title 42, a pandemic-era immigration restriction, expired at midnight as hundreds of migrants amassed at the border hoping to get into the United States. The number of illegal crossings at the US border by migrants surged over 10,000 daily this week, an all-time record, reports have detailed.
"The Biden Administration is actually PULLING Border Patrol agents off the line. Texas is stepping up to fill the gap. Thank you to Texas Dept. of Public Safety troopers & Texas National Guard soldiers who are working night and day to hold the line," Abbott said in a tweet on Friday.
US President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the administration expects the situation near the border to be chaotic. The state of Texas and the Pentagon have both sent service members to the border to conduct support operations.
An all-time record number of migrants have arrived at the US southern border under the Biden administration, hitting two consecutive records in 2021 and 2022, totaling over 2.3 million people.
In fiscal year 2023, which began on October 1, the US authorities said they have already encountered more than 1.2 million migrants.