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Texas authorities on high alert for immigration ‘surveillance’ ahead of Trump
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Texas authorities on high alert for immigration ‘surveillance’ ahead of Trump

(NewsNation) — Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) braces for increases at southern border as people try to enter U.S. before Donald Trump is returning to the White House.

“We still want to maintain a proactive posture. We don’t want to be reactive,” said Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez. “We want to be ready for anything, for any possible growth.”

To that end, Texas DPS officers conducted “mass migration response” exercises along the border. Among the strategies is stationing DPS officers in their vehicles with flashing red and blue lights every few hundred yards along the border.

Agents rescue a 4-year-old baby girl from smugglers near the border

DPS said the strategy is being implemented in the Rio Grande Valley, Del Rio and El Paso Border Patrol sectors. Officers have also placed loudspeakers along the border that play a short, sharp message that can be heard across the Rio Grande in Mexico.

“Caution, caution. I’m an illegal cruiser here. Hay una search here. Este no es un puerto de entrada,” says the message in Spanish, translated as: “Caution, caution. It is illegal to pass here. There are fences here. This is not a port of entry.”

While the Texas DPS and US Border Patrol prepare for a possible increase before President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the increase may not happen due to The policies of the Biden administration which have significantly slowed down illegal crossings.

“We’ve seen a significant decrease in illegal border crossings, particularly in Texas, where the number has dropped by nearly 86 percent,” Olivarez said.

Homan points to enforcement priorities as Trump’s “border czar.”

Biden’s policies include denying asylum to anyone who arrives at the border away from an official port of entry and without an asylum appointment with Customs and Border Protection.

But while individuals might think twice about entering the U.S. illegally, cartels are working harder than ever to smuggle people in.

Two recent examples of cartel desperation were the discovery of someone hiding in the gas tank of a semi-tractor and people “welded” into the body of a pickup truck. Border Patrol agents had to remove the sides of the truck to reveal the people inside the body.

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