East RGV News

A 36-year-old Ecuadorian man who entered the United States illegally was arrested on trespassing charges as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star "arrest and jail" approach. 

According to The Texas Tribune, the state district judge ruled that the man's arrest violated the U.S. Constitution by overstepping federal immigration laws, and the ruling may have set off a wave of legal challenges to Abbott's border security initiative.

That case has laid the groundwork for hundreds of other arrested migrants to seek dismissal of charges. Within a day of state District Judge Jan Soifer’s ruling, defense attorneys sought dismissal of charges for nearly 450 people arrested on the grounds of trespassing, according to The Texas Tribune. 

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the number of border patrol agent encounters with people trying to enter the U.S. illegally was 1.956 million between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, up from 646,822 during the previous year.

According to a Quinnipiac poll taken from Dec. 2-6, 2021, 33% of Texans say border security is the “most urgent issue” facing Texas today – followed by the economy (11%), abortion (9%), COVID-19 (8%) and election integrity (8%).

Don Huffines, a Republican running against Abbott to fill the incumbent's spot as Texas governor, commented on Abbott's handling of the Texas/Mexico border.

“Greg Abbott’s dog-and-pony show at the Texas border has changed nothing – illegal aliens still get to remain in Texas on the taxpayers’ dime," Huffines said. "As governor, I will stop the illegal invasion across the Texas border, and we will immediately deport these illegal aliens from the state of Texas."

According to The Columbus Dispatch, undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal, state and local taxes every year and have been for over 25 years after the IRS allowed people without a Social Security number to pay taxes. Although undocumented immigrants pay taxes in various ways, they do not benefit from many programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.

Huffines joins a crowded field, along with former Florida Congressman and Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and media personality Chad Prather, challenging Abbott in the March 1 GOP gubernatorial primary. 

Former El Paso City Council member and U.S. Congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke leads the Democratic field for nomination to run for governor. O'Rourke previously mounted unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate and president of the United States. 

Huffines is the CEO of Huffines Communities, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based real estate development firm. From 2015 to 2019 Huffines served in the Texas Senate, representing the people of Texas' 16th Senate District, according to Ballotpedia.

Elected in 2014, Abbott is currently serving as the 48th governor of Texas. Before being elected governor, Abbott was the longest-serving attorney general of Texas.