U.S. Military Base to Deter Migrants on the Mexico Border

The state of Texas has announced the construction of a military "base" in Eagle Pass, near the border between the United States and Mexico, as part of a broader effort by the state's Republican governor to deter illegal immigration. Governor Greg Abbott mentioned in a press conference that the facility will be an 80-acre complex along the banks of the Rio Grande, housing up to 1,800 soldiers, with the capability to expand to 2,300 soldiers. Record numbers of migrants have crossed illegally into the United States since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, including several million who crossed into Texas. Abbott has deployed thousands of state-controlled National Guard troops to deter migrants and has constructed a temporary border wall in Eagle Pass using shipping containers and barbed wire.