Trump praises Abbott at inauguration, promises to militarize border and build wall

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will declare a national emergency, send troops to the southern border, deport undocumented immigrants en masse and reinstate a policy requiring asylum seekers to wait their cases in Mexico — and Gov. Greg Abbott will be a key partner, he said during his inauguration on Monday.

“He was a very popular governor and now he’s an unbeatable governor because of [his] border policies,” Trump said of Abbott in remarks with his supporters after his formal inauguration speech. Abbott was among the crowd of supporters and Trump spent several minutes speaking directly to him during his remarks, recommitting to building a border wall. “Now that you have a new president, that wall will go up so fast.”

Texas contains more of the southern border than any other state, stretching over 1,200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to El Paso. Abbott has already made efforts to militarize the border under Operation Lone Star, deploying the National Guard to South Texas and spending billions to initiate a state constructed border wall. It’s unclear the scale of Trump’s plans for sending the military to the border, but he said “we will do it at a level that nobody’s ever seen before.”

Speaking with his supporters after the formal Inaugural ceremony, Trump praised Abbott as a “leader of the pack” on border security. He recounted partnering with the governor during his first presidency to build physical barriers on the southern border and invited the governor to continue partnering to build more.

“You didn’t do that for politics. You did because you wanted to do the right thing. But I’ll tell you, it sure as hell worked for politics too,” Trump said.

The White House said in a statement that “The Armed Forces, including the National Guard, will engage in border security, which is national security, and will be deployed to the border to assist existing law enforcement personnel.” The National Guard has been deployed on the border before, but the use of active duty military to enforce immigration policy could run afoul with a law that generally bars the military from civilian law enforcement, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.

“Much of what Trump is seeking to do, especially if he plans on violating U.S. law would make us less safe as a nation,” Escobar, who previously served on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a text message.

Trump had promised to hit the ground running “on day one” issuing executive orders on policies directly impacting Texas, including to harden the border, end diversity and inclusion programs, loosen energy production restrictions and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The logistics of his proposals are not yet clear but a mass deportation would require extensive resources that Congress would have to grant. Over 1.6 million undocumented immigrants live in Texas alone.

His team also previewed moves to end birthright citizenship for children of foreigners born in the United States. That move in particular is almost certain to face legal challenges. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees everyone born on U.S. territory to be citizens.

“With these actions we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said during his speech shortly after being sworn in.

Trump was sworn in around 11 a.m. Central time, officially starting his second presidential term. He made his remarks from inside the Capitol Rotunda, where he railed against the previous administration as neglecting its responsibility on the border, public health and education.

“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said. “My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal. And all of these many betrayals that have taken place and to give people back their faith, their wealth and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”

During his speech, Trump also thanked Black and Hispanic voters for “the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote.” Trump won a larger share of Black and Hispanic voters last year relative to in 2020, though a majority of both groups voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s inroads with Hispanic voters were particularly apparent in South Texas, where several counties that had been Democratic strongholds for generations voted for Trump.

“In places like South Texas, Hispanic Americans played a pivotal role in their victory because we believe in the promise of the American Dream. Our community understands the value of hard work, family, and opportunity,” U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a McAllen Republican who was one of the first Hispanic Republicans elected from South Texas and a Trump ally, said in a statement.

Trump is bringing a handful of Texans into his Cabinet to execute his agenda. Trump tapped former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, former Gov. Rick Perry policy director Brooke Rollins to lead the Agriculture Department and former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe of Heath to lead the CIA. Trump named Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who has recently moved to Texas, as his pick for Director of National Intelligence and Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta to be ambassador to Italy.

Several other Texans were circulated as potential administration picks. Trump said last May that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would be “great” as U.S. Attorney General. Paxton is a close ally of the president-elect, filing a lawsuit to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston was interviewed early in the transition as a potential contender for Defense Secretary. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi got tapped for the attorney general post, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth became Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon.

The Texans are among the less controversial picks for his administration, meaning they are likely to be confirmed by the Senate swiftly. None of them have faced the personal criticisms of other Trump picks, though Rollins’ nomination hearing is not slated to take place until later this week. Ratcliffe and Turner both went before Senate committees last week in largely cordial hearings.

“On Nov. 5, Texans voted resoundingly for a new direction for our country, delivering a decisive victory to President-elect Donald Trump and helping to secure Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. Given this mandate, it is imperative the Senate swiftly confirm the team the president-elect has selected to implement his agenda,” Sen. John Cornyn wrote in an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News. “I’m thrilled to see that three outstanding Texans have made the list thus far.”

The Trump White House will also be looking to Texas for some of its staffing. Paige Willey, communications director for Paxton, will join the White House as deputy assistant for economic policy and Ryan Baasch, associated deputy Attorney General, will be a special assistant for economic policy, according to Bloomberg.

Perhaps the most famous Texan in Trump’s orbit is a recent transplant to the state: Elon Musk. The tech mogul who bankrolled much of Trump’s election efforts will head the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency, which is essentially an unofficial advisory role. The entity has never existed before and remains undefined. Musk has become a close confidant of the president-elect, influencing his fiscal and social policy priorities. Musk was seated close to Trump on the Inauguration stage.

Hundreds of Texans traveled to Washington for the Inauguration and accompanying celebrations. Several thousand attended a black tie Texas-themed gala hosted by the Texas State Society on Sunday night. In addition to numerous members of Congress and both Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright were in Washington.

Trump has also vowed to pardon hundreds of participants of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Over 60 Texans were charged for their role in the attack. Trump has washed his hands of responsibility for the riot and said he was looking to make “major pardons” of his supporters who were involved.

“I was going to talk about the J6 hostages, but you’ll be happy because you know it’s action not words that count,” Trump said Monday. “And you’re going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages.”

Originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.