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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas and the United States federal |
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government have 1,254 miles of land to protect along Texas' border |
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with Mexico, a job that has become increasingly violent as this |
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state has been subjected to an invasion by foreign drug cartels; and |
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WHEREAS, These foreign drug cartels bring terror to Texas |
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communities by flooding the streets with deadly narcotics, forcing |
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women and children into human and sex trafficking, enriching |
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themselves on the misery and enslavement of Texans, and butchering |
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and murdering anyone who tries to stop them; and |
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WHEREAS, State and local law enforcement agencies are forced |
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to contend with extensive and dangerous criminal activity resulting |
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from, or associated with, foreign drug cartels, thereby putting |
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Texas law enforcement officials in danger and draining resources |
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away from protecting our communities; and |
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas has acted to address the problem |
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by adding hundreds of commissioned law enforcement officers to the |
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border, purchasing state-of-the-art helicopters, conducting border |
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security surge operations, and paying millions of dollars for |
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overtime, training, equipment, and technology for local law |
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enforcement; and |
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WHEREAS, Law enforcement agencies working together in Texas |
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have seized billions of dollars in illegal drugs and hundreds of |
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millions in cash, along with thousands of firearms and other |
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weapons, all related to the invasion of foreign drug cartels; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has repeatedly asked the federal government to |
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send more border security resources to the state, requesting an |
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increase in manpower and authority for border patrol agents and |
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other federal personnel; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas prisons house violent offenders that claim |
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foreign citizenship, and the state bears the cost of housing and |
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prosecuting those offenders; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas taxpayers have spent billions compensating |
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for the lack of federal resources provided to the state; and |
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WHEREAS, The federal government's failure to develop a |
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comprehensive plan to address this border security problem puts an |
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unfair and unreasonable burden on the entire state, especially on |
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Texas border communities, in violation of Article IV, Section 4 of |
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the United States Constitution; and |
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WHEREAS, Under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the United |
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States Constitution, Texas is entitled as a sovereign state of the |
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United States of America to protect itself against this current |
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foreign drug cartel invasion; this constitutional authority grants |
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the State of Texas the power to defend the state when the state has |
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been invaded or is "in such imminent Danger as will not admit of |
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delay"; and |
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WHEREAS, The governor, in a letter to the president of the |
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United States on November 16, 2022, invoked the authority under |
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Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, to protect |
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the State of Texas; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas, |
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3rd Called Session, hereby demand the federal government to |
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immediately declare violent foreign drug cartels as foreign |
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terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and |
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Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1189; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby find that the |
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State of Texas has been invaded by foreign drug cartels and that the |
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citizens of this state are in imminent danger of irreparable harm; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby encourage all |
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applicable state and local resources as needed, to use any and all |
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authority under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the United States |
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Constitution to repel this violent foreign drug cartel invasion, |
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and that such authority should be invoked with the intention of |
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utilizing such authority in the most peaceful manner possible |
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consistent with bringing this invasion to a conclusion at the |
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earliest possible moment. |