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SENATE 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, |
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forcing women and children into human and sex trafficking, |
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enriching themselves on the misery and enslavement of Texans, and |
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butchering 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 |
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Texas have dramatically increased by more than 750 percent this |
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fiscal 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 |
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determined to have prior criminal records; and |
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WHEREAS, The Office of the Texas Attorney General |
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estimates that there are 234,000 victims of labor trafficking and |
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79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking at any given |
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time in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, State and local law enforcement agencies are |
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forced to contend with extensive and dangerous criminal activity |
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resulting from, or associated with, foreign drug cartels, |
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thereby putting Texas law enforcement officials in danger and |
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draining resources 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 |
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officers to the border, purchasing state-of-the-art helicopters, |
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conducting border security surge operations, and paying millions |
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of dollars for overtime, training, equipment, and technology for |
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local law enforcement; and |
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WHEREAS, Law enforcement agencies working together in |
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Texas have seized billions of dollars in illegal drugs and |
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hundreds of millions in cash, along with thousands of firearms |
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and weapons, all related to the foreign drug cartel-facilitated |
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invasion; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has repeatedly asked the federal government |
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to send more border security resources to the state, requesting |
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an increase in manpower of border patrol agents and the |
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deployment of National Guard troops; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas prisons house thousands of violent |
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offenders that claim foreign citizenship, and the state bears the |
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cost of 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 |
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invasion as required by Article IV, Section 4 of the United |
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States 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 |
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United States of America to protect itself against this current |
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foreign drug cartel-facilitated invasion, which grants the State |
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of Texas the power to defend the state when the state has been |
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invaded, or is "in such imminent Danger as will not admit of |
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delay"; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature, |
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1st Called Session, hereby respectfully request the federal |
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government to immediately declare violent foreign drug cartels |
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as foreign terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the |
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Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1189; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate hereby find that foreign |
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drug cartels have facilitated an invasion of the State of Texas |
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and that the citizens of this state are in danger of irreparable |
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harm; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate hereby encourage the Texas |
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Military Department and all applicable state resources as needed |
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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 least lethal manner |
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possible consistent with bringing this facilitated invasion to a |
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conclusion at the earliest possible moment. |
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