This past Thursday (11-03), Texas Governor Greg Abbott held a town hall meeting at the Rockin B Feed & Supply store in Van Ormy, a small community just south of San Antonio, TX. I was able to attend the gathering and elected to report on some topics. Numerous matters were the focus of the meeting, of which a majority revolved around crime and illegal drugs in both Texas and America.
Governor Abbott centered his dialogue around cartel members trafficking drugs (and humans) across the southern border and pointed out that a huge influx are entering through Texas. Seizures of fentanyl and methamphetamines are regularly occurring, including that of large shipments of marijuana. These seizures are being made by Texas DPS officers and the national guard, along with members of the U.S. Border Patrol.
According to the governor, Texas is seeing record numbers of border crossings and not all individuals are law-abiding citizens or those seeking political asylum. Included in the mix are numerous drug and human traffickers, and those from criminal gangs and cartels. He highlighted one case that just occurred, where a criminal was arrested while crossing the border; a Murder warrant was outstanding for his arrest. A comparison analogy highlighting these numbers was that just this year alone, more individuals crossed America’s southern border than reside in the city of Houston; in excess of 2.5 million people! Overwhelming influxes allow the criminal element to easily enter our country.
The governor also highlighted the dangerous fentanyl epidemic that is ongoing in Texas, and throughout America. He summarized how a majority of fentanyl was being manufactured in China and then exported to Mexico, at which point cartel gangs distribute it throughout America. As many know, Governor Abbott emphasized that this is an “extremely” dangerous drug that is killing our youth. To highlight this sad fact, two mothers gave their renditions about how fentanyl killed their children – one a high schooler and a one-time user. This duo has recently formed a coalition to help educate and combat drug abuse, focusing on fentanyl.
Governor Abbott concluded this portion of his presentation by praising the drug Narcan (naloxone) for its lifesaving capabilities, and covering the importance of first responders and families having access to it. He also encouraged citizens not to take a blind eye to our drug issues, and promised to promote more legislation to help combat these matters and educate the public. It was encouraging to see other legislators at the meeting who promised the same.