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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 are charged with protecting 1,254 miles of land along |
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Texas' border with Mexico, a job that has become increasingly |
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violent as this state has succumbed to a foreign drug |
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cartel-facilitated invasion; 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, In fiscal year 2021, U.S. Customs and Border |
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Protection reports over 172,000 pounds of illegal narcotics have |
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been seized from foreign drug cartels in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Specifically, federal seizures of fentanyl in Texas |
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have dramatically increased by more than 750 percent this fiscal |
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year; and |
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WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2021, the U.S. Border Patrol has |
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already arrested more than 5,800 noncitizens that were determined |
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to have prior criminal records; and |
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WHEREAS, The Office of the Texas Attorney General estimates |
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that there are 234,000 victims of labor trafficking and 79,000 |
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victims of youth and minor sex trafficking at any given time in |
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Texas; 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 attempted to address the |
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problem by adding hundreds of commissioned law enforcement officers |
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to the border, purchasing state-of-the-art helicopters, conducting |
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border security surge operations, and paying millions of dollars |
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for 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 weapons, all |
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related to the foreign drug cartel-facilitated invasion; 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 of border patrol agents and the deployment of |
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National Guard troops; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas prisons house thousands of violent offenders |
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that claim foreign citizenship, and the state bears the cost of |
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housing and 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 unwillingness of the federal government to |
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develop a comprehensive plan that would address this border |
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security problem puts an unfair and unreasonable burden on the |
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entire state, but in particular on Texas border communities; and |
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WHEREAS, The federal government has failed to protect the |
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State of Texas from this foreign drug cartel-facilitated invasion |
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as required by Article IV, Section 4 of the United States |
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Constitution; and |
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WHEREAS, Under Article I, Section 10 of the United States |
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Constitution, Texas is entitled as a sovereign state of the United |
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States of America to protect itself against this current foreign |
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drug cartel-facilitated invasion, which grants the State of Texas |
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the power to defend the state when the state has been invaded, or is |
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"in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay"; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas, |
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1st Called Session, hereby respectfully request the federal |
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government to immediately declare violent foreign drug cartels as |
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foreign terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the |
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Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1189; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby find that foreign |
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drug cartels have facilitated an invasion of the State of Texas and |
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that the citizens of this state are in danger of irreparable harm; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby encourage the |
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Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department |
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to use any and all authority under Article I, Section 10 of the |
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United States Constitution to repel this violent foreign drug |
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cartel-facilitated invasion, and that such authority should be |
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invoked as the authorization for use of military force with the |
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intention of utilizing such authority in the most peaceful manner |
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possible consistent with bringing this facilitated invasion to a |
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conclusion at the earliest possible moment. |