A group of Republican lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would give the National Guard the authority to use deadly force against “armed invaders” who cross the southern border into the United States.
The bill, entitled the “Securing our Borders from Armed Invaders Act,” was introduced by freshman Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas) and referred to the Armed Services Committee.
If passed, the bill would authorize the National Guard to take “any action necessary to repel persons attempting to enter the United States from Mexico carrying weapons or for any other purpose,” according to the bill’s description. It turns out. The full text of the bill has not been made public.
Congressman Morgan Luttrell gave remarks. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, Maine, and Fox News/Law Enforcement Sources, right)
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Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL, said in a statement that the bill is needed to stop cartels and smugglers operating on “wide open borders.”
“As President Biden’s policies create an unsustainable national security crisis, we continue to see violent crime continue to escalate at our border and into our communities,” Luttrell said. said.
“This bill is a step in the right direction to crack down on this crime by deploying the National Guard.” [with] Authority to prevent these armed individuals from entering the United States by any means necessary. ”
Cartel members and smugglers are known to transport illegal immigrants across the southern border using drugs as well as weapons.
Authorities found armor-piercing ammunition on cartel members. (Law enforcement officials)
In August, FOX News obtained images showing suspected cartel gunmen crossing the southern U.S. border into Texas carrying bulletproof vests and rifles. This is the same area where law enforcement arrested five suspected members of the Northeast Cartel in June.
Fox News drones also captured footage last summer of machete-wielding smugglers beating migrants on the edge of a river in Matamoros, Mexico, and threatening them to cross to Brownsville, Texas.
The Biden administration has taken several steps to crack down on cartel smuggling, including a 2022 anti-smuggling campaign in cooperation with law enforcement that led to thousands of arrests. It also targets more than 170 sanctions against cartel leaders and members, often in cooperation with Mexico.
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Luttrell’s move comes as Texas is embroiled in a multi-pronged legal battle with the federal government over how to stem the unprecedented flow of illegal immigration.
Last year, authorities arrested two cartel members who crossed the southern border. (Law enforcement officials)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has seized federal land along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, known as Shelby Park, but the Biden administration has ruled that the Supreme Court will allow the Border Patrol to cut razor wire installed by the state. won a judgment. Texas continues to fortify its borders and has indicated it will not comply with the administration’s request to vacate the Shelby Park area.
”[President Biden’s] This act represents an unprecedented invasion and we must defend,” Abbott said Thursday.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Report 2023 It shows that the number of illegal immigrants listed on non-detention records has jumped from 3.7 million in fiscal year 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in fiscal year 2022 and nearly 6.2 million in fiscal year 2023. .
The bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Chuck Fleischman (R-Texas), Chuck Edwards, Brian Babin (R-Texas), Michael Guest (R-Michigan), and Mike Collin. It is co-sponsored by Rep. Brandon William, a member of the House of Representatives. R.N.Y.
FOX News’ Adam Shaw, Griff Jenkins and Bill Melgin contributed to this report.
A Fox News drone video shows a group of about 2,200 migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border toward Eagle Pass, Texas. (Fox News)
