Politics

Greg Abbott Promises National Guard Deployment Will Decrease Cartel Activity

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Nick Givas Media And Politics Reporter
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to the southern border is “nothing new” and believes their presence will help hinder the Mexican cartel.

“This is nothing new. This is something that was done under President Bush, under President Obama. And I have got to tell you, the people of Texas are very appreciative,” Abbott said on “Fox & Friends” Monday.

“The President of the United States has recognized this is a problem. He made a commitment when he ran for president and he’s been adamant that he wanted to do everything he can to secure the border,” he said. “Texas wants to ensure that we secure the border.”

There is a “mathematical need” for the National Guard, Abbott said and claimed their presence would yield tangible results.

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“You need to understand there is a mathematical need for this. Because the people coming across the border have increased dramatically, more than 200 percent month on month in the month of March of what it was the year before,” he said. “What we have seen in the past is when we do add these National Guard, it has a meaningful impact in reducing the flow of people coming across the border.”

Most illegal immigrants are transported across the border by the drug cartels, Abbott said and believes if the cartels are stopped, illegal immigration will go down.

“What is going on is people don’t just happen to come into the United States. They get here by the drug cartels and by the coyotes who bring them across,” Abbott said. “Every time we have increased the forces on the ground, there’s been a decrease of the cartel activity.”

“Because they realize they’re going to be losing money,” he added. “Part of our job is to put these cartels and put these coyotes out of business. And whenever we’re able to ramp up the support on the ground, it puts them out of business and it’s going to make the border a far more secure place.”

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