(Seguin) — The Guadalupe County Commissioners Court is officially supporting measures to secure the border and repel what it says is the “invasion” of illegal immigrants.
Since Jan. 2021, it has been reported that over 8 million illegal border crossings have occurred in the U.S. County officials say that is more than the individual population of 38 states. In its protest to unsecured borders and the federal government’s failure to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress, commissioners have unanimously approved a resolution in hopes of better protecting all Texas communities especially Guadalupe County.
Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher says while a resolution may not be enough to shut down the border, it is enough to make more residents aware of what is going on.
“A number of counties have taken action to approve a resolution supporting the efforts by the state to secure the border and this is no different. It talks about the crisis and the invasion that has been occurring for some time that has been politized very very much especially lately because of everything that is coming up and I understand there’s presidential cycles and all of those things — stuff that we are not focused on here in Guadalupe County and the reason that we put this on and I know it can be contentious and a little bit unnerving for some people to have these conversations but there truly is a crisis going on,” said Kutscher.
Kutscher says the crisis is not just along the border. He says the crisis is also having a direct affect and impact locally.
“It is a national crisis that is happening in the state of Texas that affects individual communities like ours in Guadalupe County and individual citizens and taxpayers. You can talk over and over about sighted details of the millions of illegal immigrants that are coming across and how it relates to crime and drugs and trafficking and all of those things but directly Guadalupe County is impacted in such a way where all of our state allocated law enforcement resources spend more time in Eagle Pass and down at the border than they do in Guadalupe County. That’s State Troopers, those are Rangers, those are a number of other agencies that would be dedicated to protecting the life and property of Guadalupe County citizens and taxpayers. (They’re) having to be somewhere else trying to have a positive impact on people coming across,” said Kutscher.
Kutscher says the local community which includes schools and non-profits have also begun to feel its impact.
“You’ve got overrun issues with indigent healthcare, with schools, with a number of humanitarian efforts that go on in communities that try to serve people because that’s what we do. We care about people. We care about communities but the stress and burden is too great for so many of us to handle and it is at a level that we need to say something. Will this individual resolution have a direct impact? No. But hopefully it will be a small part of a bigger voice to help people pay attention. The federal government has abandoned its responsibility to enforce the laws that are in place and now the state is trying to protect us and now the federal government says they are not allowed to do that. We are absolutely allowed to protect ourselves from danger, from invasion — the Constitution says so. It’s just frustrating that others say we can’t,” said Kutscher.
The adopted resolution states that the “Biden Border Crisis hit a new record between August and December of 2023, with over 1.2 million illegals encountered at the Southern Border with Mexico, the vast majority of which have crossed into Texas” and that “at least 50 subjects on the terrorist watchlist have been arrested while attempting to cross the border illegally since January 2021, and an unknown number have crossed while evading detection and capture, demonstrating that an insecure border is a pathway for terrorists to enter the State of Texas and the United States.”
Supporting the county’s position is Michael Carpenter, Commissioner, Pct. 3. Carpenter says the county is taking the right position and is doing what it can to protect itself.
“We’ve also had an effect on the constabulary in this county and work that the constables have had to do in support of other law enforcement agencies — a direct effect from the illegal immigration challenges that we are facing here in the state of Texas and when I say the constabulary, I mean in our neighbors, on our streets and in a fashion that is foreign in many cases to what we are used to in our county. Creating additional awareness of the reality of the situation is something we can do and I’m excited to do so with you,” said Carpenter.
Stephen Germann, commissioner Pct. 4, says the county has an obligation to protect its residents. He says unsecured borders means more danger.
“It’s not only the number of people. It’s the people in those numbers. When are they going to bomb an electrical site? When are they going to poison some water? Another 911, I hate to say is probably inevitable and we have to do something now to close the door. The other thing — these cartels with the sex trafficking. I heard a speaker one day and I will never forget this. He said they rescued a young lady and they proved that that day she had been raped 23 times. This stuff has got to stop and if we can do a small thing to add in to a larger picture, man, I’m all for it,” said Germann.
Greg Seidenberger, commissioner, Pct. 1, says the adoption of a resolution simply allows the county to have a voice for the people that it serves.
“I think it’s good for us to do this resolution because I have had conversations with constituents saying is there anything that we can do locally or at this governmental level here to help support the protection of our borders and I think a resolution like this is something that reflects the concerns and the will of the people,” said Seidenberger.
The resolution further reads, “Guadalupe County Commissioners Court stands in full support of the actions undertaken by Governor Abbott through Operation Lone Star to defend Texas’ sovereignty and defend against the invasion at our Southern Border with Mexico. Guadalupe County Commissioners Court fully supports Governor Abbott’s efforts to relocate illegal migrants by any means necessary to states and cities throughout the U.S. that have affirmed or proclaimed themselves a ‘sanctuary.'”
The proclamation was approved during Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court.