Attorney General Paxton, Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon, Refugio County Sheriff Pinky Gonzalez, and Jackson County Sheriff A.J. Louderback held a press conference to discuss the criminal and humanitarian border crisis. May 2021
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square
The attorneys general of Texas and Missouri have been what some may consider an unlikely pair from non-neighboring states, teaming up on lawsuits against the Biden administration over illegal immigration.
“Missouri will continue to take concrete action to secure the border, even when the Biden administration won’t,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt told The Center Square. “As I’ve said before, every state’s a border state.”
Schmitt has been to the southern border in Texas twice now in the last three months with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Most recently, he joined a group of attorneys general in McAllen, where eight of them announced another lawsuit they filed against the administration over illegal immigration.
“The Republican attorneys general are leading the charge against the Biden administration and Texas and Missouri are at the forefront of that,” Schmitt told The Center Square. “We’ve filed a few lawsuits together now,” he added, with their first win being an historic one at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Paxton and Schmitt first sued the administration last year after it halted the Remain in Mexico policy, arguing the suspension of the policy violated federal law. The high court agreed. In a 6-3 decision, it ordered the administration to reinstate it.
“Now we’re having to force the Biden administration to abide by that as they drag their feet,” Schmitt said, “but that was a big win and will hopefully allow us to get a handle on border security, which is what we had under President Trump.”
Last fall, Schmitt was in El Paso with Paxton where he said, “When you’re along the border there, you see some wall and then no wall. But the reality is that materials are sitting there on the ground rusting that could be put up, as opposed to Biden wanting to pay contractors to not do that.”
It currently costs taxpayers $3 million a day to not build the wall.
Schmitt and Paxton together sued the administration a second time, requesting the court order the administration to complete border wall construction. They’re still waiting on a ruling. However, the administration has said it doesn’t have any intention of doing so and canceled all construction contracts. It also announced it was using border wall funding on environmental projects and maintenance repairs instead.
In the third case, Schmitt, Paxton, and six other attorneys general sued over the administration releasing minors from Central America into the U.S. The policy allows them to bring extended family members, ignoring immigration law and the Remain in Mexico policy, they argue.
Schmitt also filed a brief in support of another lawsuit Paxton filed over the Biden administration attempting to drastically alter Title 42 deportations. He, Paxton, and 14 other attorneys general urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take action against China and Mexico for their role in facilitating the production and distribution of illicit drugs into the U.S. through the southern border.
In 2021, fentanyl seizures at the border topped heroin seizures for the first time in U.S. history. Also last year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill every American. These seizures exclude the amount of drugs seized by Texas state troopers participating in Operation Lone Star, including enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill more than 200 million people.
“Fentanyl is entering Missouri and destroying lives – over 800 Missourians died of opioid overdoses in the first half of 2021 alone,” Schmitt said. “My office has taken proactive steps to secure the border, it’s time the Biden administration do the same. Their continued inaction could mean a matter of life or death for hundreds of Missourians.”
The Biden administration maintains its immigration policies are legal. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said that the administration’s policies are more humane than the Trump administration’s, and the border is secure.
Yet, just days after their announcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested aid from contractors to help single 18 and 19-year-olds who entered the U.S. illegally “navigate” the immigration process in the U.S., instead of deporting them or overseeing their return to Mexico to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently announced it had made nearly 2 million enforcement actions against illegal immigrants since Biden’s been in office.
Biden, who’s yet to visit the southern border, has implemented “disastrous immigration policies that have wreaked havoc on our communities and placed a massive burden on our state and nation,” Paxton said.
“Because of the scale of this crisis, the effects of unprecedented levels of illegal immigration are felt by all states,” he added. “Violence, drugs, human trafficking, and unsustainable costs on our communities follow in the wake of wave upon wave of illegal immigration. My colleagues and I are meeting to discuss what else we can do to stop it.”
While Missouri doesn’t share a physical border with Mexico, it like all other states falls within a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Sector.
There are 20 in the U.S., and Missouri’s located in the Grand Forks Sector. Missouri is home to four CBP ports of entry in Kansas City, the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, Springfield, and St. Louis, where CBP agents are tasked with a range of interdiction efforts.
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Mano Amiga in partnership with the City of San Marcos funds and implements “disastrous immigration policies (read: illegal foreign national criminals) that have wreaked havoc on our communities and placed a massive burden on our state and nation,” Paxton should have said.
Alyssa Garza, Secretary for Mano Amiga
and City Council Member - Place 3
630 E Hopkins
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 512-938-2405
Meanwhile, the San Marcos ruling elite soon will be celebrating Mardi Gras
Gosh, with a little more masks, vaccinations and fear, maybe they can help us
break our present record of 45 empty store fronts in downtown San Marcos.
Party On !!!
P-lease Abigail. Have you watched the city council meetings lately? Garza has been spot on defending American citizens' neighborhoods and free speech rights. I had my doubts about her initially, but after actually being involved, I formulated an opinion grounded in reality. I also had formed my opinion on Mano Amiga. Your statements are disrespectful and not based on truth. Have you not seen you at the mic lately? Why don't you err your concerns at citizen comments vs. hiding behind a faceless name online? Coward.
Regards, LMC
Ms. Coppoletta,
Cowards? Such as yourself come in many colors.
1. From your porch you yell at people to stay off your property, when in fact they are
only walking past your home on the publicly owned right-of-way. And when the city wanted
to build a sidewalk on that right-of-way so that people wouldn't have to walk in the street, you
yelled even louder, and tried telling us how the public doesn't have a right to a sidewalk on it's
own public right-of-way.,
For those reasons alone, when you say "Your statements are disrespectful and not based on truth",
I know you are speaking as an expert upon the subject.
2. From the warm safety of your speaker's podium you regularly address the city council. What an
assurance knowing that you won't be murdered for simply showing up and saying whatever you
want. For doing this you call yourself brave. You tell us that "Garza has been spot on defending
American citizens’ neighborhoods and free speech rights." Those who disagree you call cowards.
Maybe the others are simply tired of getting killed off by people like you and Alyssa Garza. For example,
the three brave young men who simply showed up at another wife-beating conducted by illegal aliens
here in San Marcos, courtesy of Mano Amiga's ongoing policy for the importation of foreign national
criminals into our city. One of those young men was murdered for challenging Mano Amiga, the other
two were severely wounded. Those young men were OUR police officers and OUR citizens.
You say "Garza has been spot on defending American citizens’ neighborhoods and free speech rights."
If you mean that council member Garza has been making our neighborhoods safe for alien criminals, yes.
If you mean that council member Garza defends speech that supports her own cause and yours, yes.
If you say you are not condemning my own speech because it disagrees with your agendas, you lie.
Cowards simply run from facts.
You are what you hate, Ms. Coppoletta.
Hi, "Abigail,"
I have lovely conversations with people who walk on the sidewalk. We laugh and joke with each other ALL day. Your statements are falsehoods, and you know it. People like you like to paint others in a disparaging light because you have an agenda. Moreover, it is typical to complain online vs. getting involved in our community. It takes work after all to pull an agenda to protect and improve our community. It takes little thought to craft a lie to push an ideology.
Many in town believe the sidewalk was a vendetta. Why? Because the streets department used to get a steak dinner every time they "threw concrete," and I reported it, and those shenanigans stopped shortly thereafter. City workers used city equipment, materials, and city time for their private projects. My statements are all documented with photos, and Tom Taggart confirmed it. To that effect, this waste of taxpayer dollars stopped. Moreover, due to my concerns, the process is now more transparent. Residents get 30 days notice before sidewalk butchers their yard. What you do not understand is that incompatible sidewalks kill trees, gentrify neighborhoods, and bring student housing to someone's block. The first word out of the city planners' advocacy for dense housing is “it's got a sidewalk.”
The problem is that you do not come to terms with the fact that our small block does not need a sidewalk. Furthermore, even with the sidewalk, the majority of pedestrians still walk in the middle of the street. Why? Because they take a right to go to the corner store. Sidewalk should have either been a two sided street sidewalk or gone on the other side of the street with no heritage live oaks. And, then pedestrians would not have to cross the street to get to Bishop to get to the corner store.
Moreover, some blocks truly need a sidewalk which the city refuses to investigate. Why not invest taxpayer money into where the sidewalks really need to be installed? Why not save lives and injuries in high traffic areas?
For example, there is no sidewalk on Bishop that connects the CIP project to the TxDot project on Hopkins. People take their lives into their own hands, crossing the street on a blind hill because there is no complete sidewalk. Last week, I showed footage of two Moms with babies in strollers taking their lives in their own hands crossing the street. Even after calling for the city's attention for four years now, the maps say there is a sidewalk. When there is not one. The city refuses to correct the maps. That is one reason the sidewalk was installed on Belvin was these incorrect maps.
Why not install bus stops where they need to go, versus a trigger for gentrification. Our community members cannot afford the out of control property taxes.
Also, you fail to understand that the street sweeper who lives on Belvin filled out a survey. He wanted a sidewalk on Belvin but, out of privilege, did not get one in his yard, just like the rest of Belvin. Pretty ironic.
Furthermore, many trees on the block were butchered. It is a historic block with heritage live oaks. Are you a heritage live oak hater Abigail? Don't you want sidewalks where they should go? Or, are you part of the crowd of 20 somethings that exist on Facebook pumping out falsehoods?
The majority of the block did not want the sidewalk. Only a family that wanted their plants removed because they were too lazy to do their yard work wanted the sidewalk. Bert Lumbreras ignored our concerns. Moreover, our concerns were aired on television with interviews. Furthermore, we also went live with the reporter on facebook. And Bert ignored the countless people across San Marcos who emailed in their concerns.
Moreover, the city had the right of way on the other side of the street but refused to install a sidewalk with no heritage live oaks. The sidewalk on my block has a pole in the middle of it, to that effect it should never have been installed.
I have had a professional arborist look at the city's butchery to the trees. Experts in the field were shocked that the city arborist Kelly Ebby approved the project. Furthermore, I have invested thousands of dollars in attempting to keep the trees alive. The city refuses to come out to inspect the trees. So, they butcher trees and then say oops, not our responsibility. Maybe you don’t have trees in your yard and it's difficult for you to understand. And, city memos between Steve Parker and Lisa Prewitt verify the material they used for the sidewalk kill trees. And, yet the city still used this substance.
One same family got a personal favor from Bert: speed bumps and speed signs when West San Antonio needs those traffic calming devices.
Perhaps you do not understand why so many people in town, including the Neighborhood Commission, who sent two resolutions opposing the sidewalk, took issue. The critical root zones of four heritage live oaks in my yard alone were impacted. Historical assets were impacted by two historic walls, thousands of dollars of limestone landing pads, and Native American artifacts.
And the Mayor refuses to follow up on her promise for a program review of The Complete Streets Program. It's the only program in Hays County never to get a program review. It's a program that rubber stamps gentrification to bring in dense housing to pre established neighborhoods. But, that may be over your head since I have never seen you attend the Code SMTX or various boards and commissions. Not to mention your refusal to speak out at public hearings for our neighbors.
The policy is NO one-sided street sidewalks. This means the city is breaking its own policy. And, flies in the face of the city council that passed the Complete Streets Program. Former elected officials even called up to verify this policy.
Bert ignored this truth.
And the block is a historical block meant NOT to have a sidewalk with severe drainage problems, which have been exacerbated as a result of the sidewalk. The floodwaters now go over the sidewalk where once there was soil. But, you seem to not care about flooding either? The sidewalk will gentrify our street for an empty lot on our block. Consider the discussion of permeable pavement for new construction projects, and city staff do not hold themselves to the same standard. In fact developers are held to higher standards on sidewalks than the city holds for themselves.
Bert Lumbreras promised that the heritage tree critical root zones would not be harmed. When in fact, he lied. Anyone who took a photo of the city butchering the critical root zones had police come to their house with a ticket. My ring cameras were covered up by the city with a tarp. At the same time, Kelly Ebby butchered thousands of dollars of heritage live oak assets. Don’t you find it odd my ring cameras were covered up and there was a police posted there to not allow members of our community to take photos? These members are involved and care about San Marcos. They care about compatibility of sidewalks with smaller blocks in historic areas. And, they want sidewalks where people’s safety are in danger such as Bishop Street.
The "not harming critical root zones" promise is documented in email correspondence, hard copy sent to my home, and recorded conversations on Soundcloud. You also may be unaware Bert Lumbreras promised, also documented on SoundCloud, emails and hard copy correspondence that all yards on Belvin would get a shovel test. Shovel tests never occurred. We will never know if documented Native American Artifacts were impacted.
You also fail to acknowledge that the Neighborhood Commission sent two resolutions regarding their concerns with the sidewalk. The policy is no one-sided street sidewalks. In this case, it is imperative to note that the light is on the other side of the street. It takes the city six months to replace bulbs impacting homeowner and pedestrian safety.
Moreover, you fail to come to terms with a "bulb out" utterly irrational response to the community’s concerns over the heritage live oaks.. The city said the trees would be harmed so they built a "bulb out," knowing they would come to smash it to bits months later.
The 50K sidewalk ended up costing 500K. Those are your tax dollars wasted so Bert could prove a point that he was the big cheese in charge. The city ignored my concerns about the safety of motorists from the "bulb out" but listened to a neighbor who lied about not being able to back his truck out. The lie is documented with video footage.
Moreover, the Mayor has broken a policy she made on TV to review the sidewalk program. Melissa Derrick and Lisa Prewitt REFUSED to have a program review of the sidewalk project, a promise made on TV. Why? Because they want to build sidewalks for more dense housing to encroach on neighborhoods. However, that is too hard for you to follow because you are ill-informed on city workings. Or, maybe you have an angle and want our lovely old neighborhoods gentrified for more student housing.
It is pretty clear you have not watched the Charter Review Commission process where Garza defended American's right to free speech. She defended your right to say what you think, but you do not exercise that right.
We have a Mayor who wanted to limit the Free Speech rights of homeowners, and we have Garza and others defending Free Speech. If you feel strongly about topics, show up on zoom or city hall vs. crafting lies online. Garza has repeatedly defended neighborhoods where American taxpayers reside. You must not watch city council meetings. I have taken the time to speak with her and did not vote for her, so call me a reluctant authority. And, our community knows I'm not a pushover. But, I sure will vote for her next election cycle.
Garza has repeatedly voted against projects that would harm our neighborhoods and has also been pro small business. And from what I can tell her only agenda is to provide COVID-19 testing.
Your perception of my opinions on this other topic is way out of line, and my friends are laughing their backsides off at your perception of my political ideology as it relates to national politics. You really should get your facts in order. But, it's easy to spout lies behind a keyboard without the courage to use your real name.
You are casting out falsehoods to launch personal attacks. I think all you are doing is disparaging a city councilperson who is genuinely fighting for the protection of the neighborhoods so you can prepare your developer homies to run against Garza.
“From the warm safety of your speaker’s podium you regularly address the city council. What an assurance knowing that you won’t be murdered for simply showing up and saying whatever you want.” I have stood up to those creating disturbance at city hall on numerous occasions. This is well documented. Do you have such convictions or courage?
“Those who disagree you call cowards.” A coward is someone who hides behind a keyboard and attacks an elected official who is actually standing up for your neighborhood and your ability to speak freely at municipal meetings. A coward is someone who launches vicious lies knowing that no one in town knows who they actually are. A coward is someone who uses a first name versus their real name. I support your right to speak freely and truly. But, you have chosen “Abigail” to create lies in your last two posts and are a coward because you will not give your real name. You have an agenda.
Do you wear a thin blue line lanyard in your back pocket? I do. I did not see you at the police officer fundraiser. Why? Because you are a lying coward developer hack.
hysterics on steroids stay away from her side of the street, she has a lot of signs too saying no trespass, wacked
Hi Abigail Parker,
I think you mean "hysterics" neighbor who calls SMPD trying to get people arrested for parking and she has signs nailed to her house. Or, her grown son who trespasses trying to start physical alterations on the block if a car is parked near their house. Why he has school district van in and out we will never know. Gosh its kinda creepy you are driving down the block. Must not have anything else to do.
There is one note card sized small sticker on my front door not to trespass because Kelly A. Eby kept showing up at 7:30 AM and 8:AM trying to get me to sign right of way papers so she could butcher my trees.
It must been allot for you to read, try harder. Practice makes perfect.
no mam, i was writing about you with the no trespassing signs and my first name is parker. we live pretty closeby on belvin. don't break your keyboard