Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) plans to announce a border security agreement with a fourth state in Mexico Friday afternoon. This week, he has signed measures with the governors of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon.
He will sign an agreement with the governor of Tamaulipas on Friday.
Last week, Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to inspect every truck crossing the border for drugs and illegal immigrants. Thursday, Abbott said the governor of Chihuahua agreed to a "technological investment of approximately $200 million."
"That will allow Chihuahua state police to track vehicles from the moment they leave an industrial park in Juarez until they cross the border into Texas," Abbott said. "In addition, the State of Chihuahua is incorporating technologies such as drones to patrol the border."
"I want to make it really clear: It's a win-win situation if we protect our borders and we protect the security of our states as Gov. Abbott is doing right now," Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia Campos Galván said.
Campos said Texas and Chihuahua trade $60 billion in goods each year and said the state would relocate its public safety headquarters to Juarez.
After the agreement with Chihuahua was announced, the Texas Democratic Party released a statement describing the measures as "Abbott's latest reckless and irresponsible action for the sole purpose of political gain."
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said the increased inspections have hurt businesses and led to higher prices at grocery stores.
"We will not tolerate any more of Abbott's lies and corrupt political tactics. Texas Democrats are utilizing every tool at our disposal to combat Abbott's reckless behavior and to vote him out this November. The manufactured crisis at the southern border is just another corrupt tactic Republicans are using to sway voters," Hinojosa wrote in a statement.
Before Abbott's announcement with Tamaulipas on Friday, Democrat Beto O'Rourke met with reporters in El Paso.
"These governors have no choice. He literally put a gun to their head and effectively tried to shut down their state economies," O'Rourke said.
In a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and commissioner of Customs and Border Protection on March 21, Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos Galvánsaid the state was installing a network of security cameras with facial recognition and license plate reading technology. She also said Chihuahua was moving its state police headquarters to Juarez.
O'Rourke says added inspections are costing the Texas economy $470 million a day and the national economy $996 million a day. He says 25% of jobs in El Paso depend on U.S.-Mexico trade, and two-thirds of produce sold in Texas comes from Mexico.
"Greg Abbott has hurt the people of Texas, and Greg Abbott is causing higher inflation," O'Rourke said.
As governor, O'Rourke says he would work with smaller cities along the border that may struggle with the increase in migrants. He says he would also work with the state legislature to develop a guest worker program.
A Texas Lyceum poll released last week showed 42% of voters supporting Abbott, 40% supporting O'Rourke, and 18% undecided.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD
