Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced during a press briefing in Eagle Pass on Wednesday that state authorities would resume inspecting semitrucks at the southern border, just two days after the tragic death of over 50 migrants, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The Department of Public Safety will carry out the order through a series of checkpoints to inspect commercial trucks coming in from Mexico, the Republican governor said.
"President Biden needs to focus on addressing the humanitarian crisis his reckless leadership has created at the border, instead of attacking the jobs of hardworking Texans and oil production in the Permian Basin," Abbott stated, according to Breitbart.
"The Lone Star State will not sit idly by as the federal government chooses to ignore the historic number of illegal crossings, human smuggling, and drug trafficking of deadly fentanyl from Mexico into the United States."
Abbott also appeared to double down on his controversial claim Monday that President Joe Biden's "deadly open border policies" were responsible for the recent migrant incident.
"I urge the president: stop the loss of life," the governor said. "You have the ability to stop people from losing their lives if you make it clear that no one can come across illegally."
This isn't the first time Abbott has instituted such inspections. In April, the governor initially ordered trucks to be checked in response to claims the Biden administration had insufficiently protected the U.S.-Mexico border, The Morning News noted.
After inflation and supply chain troubles began hitting the economy, Abbott temporarily eased the inspections at the time in return for security commitments from Mexican authorities.
However, tragedy struck South Texas on Monday, when 46 migrants were found dead in an abandoned semitruck, with an additional seven dying while hospitalized for heat-related conditions, per USA Today.
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