Governor Greg Abbott sent the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to investigate federal holding facilities in Midland and Pecos Texas for unaccompanied minors who have crossed the border into Texas. The Governor has asked the TCEQ to ensure that the water at the facilities is safe for consumption.
Blaming the Biden Administration for being unprepared to handle the surge in border crossings Abbott on Sunday released a statement about the Pecos Texas detention site, “I have directed the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality to immediately look into the facility’s access to potable water.”
As for the Midland site, which is a former camp for oil field workers, Abbott announced while taking questions at a Monday press conference that it too was included in the TCEQ investigation. “At the location in Midland Texas they didn’t have any adequate running water,” said Abbott. “The water source they were going to be using was well-water, well-water that had not been used in a while. And I’ve been informed that in that particular region of Texas that well-water, if it has seepage into it, it could even have arsenic in it.” The Midland site is expected to house around 700 migrant children.
On March 6th, Governor Abbott announced Operation Lone Star to send law enforcement personnel and resources to high threat areas along the border. On March 17th he expanded the Operation to include anti-human trafficking efforts.