Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended his decision to deploy thousands of state police officers and members of the National Guard to the border town of Eagle Pass in an effort to prevent illegal crossings.
Abbott has come under fire for ordering the Texas National Guard to prevent the U.S. Border Patrol from entering Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, which the Border Patrol had been using as an open-air holding center for people found crossing the river into Texas during a surge in late December.
"We're going to be barricading every area where people are crossing," Abbot told CBS News' “60 Minutes" in an interview that took place in Shelby Park, some of which was not included in the episode broadcast on Sunday. "Every area where the cartels use as a crossing, we intend to be barricading."
Abbott also pushed back on critics who say that Texas has created its own border policy despite the Supreme Court ruling that Texas must allow federal border agents access to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We are not imposing a Texas border policy," Abbott said. "Texas, very simply, is enforcing the laws that are the policy of the United States Congress."
Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Christopher Olivarez told CBS News: "The issue is trying to prevent another influx, because when Border Patrol is here setting up a processing center, it's going to attract, it's going to encourage more migrants to cross the river because they know where to go."