53 Texas Counties Have Declared Invasion At Southern Border

A total of 53 Texas counties have declared an invasion at the southern U.S. border and expressed support for Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star.

The judge and commissioners of Shackelford County in west Texas are the latest to declare an invasion, passing a resolution on Feb. 12.

They did so after their previous judge signed a disaster declaration Oct. 11, 2022, uniquely stating the county was being invaded, citing the same constitutional clauses the county’s new invasion resolution cites. Because former Judge Robert Skelton, who has since retired, declared the county was being invaded, his disaster declaration was previously counted in The Center Square’s invasion resolution count. Shackelford County has now issued both a disaster declaration and declared an invasion, citing the border crisis.

So far, 60 counties have issued disaster declarations saying their residents are in imminent danger because of cartel activity and transnational crime, facilitating smuggling of people and illicit drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, into their counties. Skelton’s disaster declaration appears to be the only one that states the county is under invasion. His resolution also called on the governor to “immediately prevent and/or remove all persons invading the sovereignty of Texas and that of the United States.”

Since Kinney, Goliad and Terrell counties first declared an invasion on July 5, 2022, 53 counties have passed invasion resolutions. Many also issued disaster declarations after Kinney County was the first to do so on April 21, 2021.

Combined, nearly 100 counties have passed disaster declarations or invasion resolutions, or both, since April 2021.