A coalition of organizations and personalities is hosting a rally at the Capitol Saturday to implore state officials to take action on the Southern border. What’s notable is what is missing in their call to action.
The rally seems intent on avoiding the rhetoric that has failed to move the needle on border security. The coalition’s website makes no mention of “failed Biden policies,” or even of President Biden at all. It also does not point blame for the epic failures of virtually every border policy, including those that fail to contain violent criminal cartels that are menacing the U.S., deadly fentanyl spreads into middle America, and human trafficking that is forcing thousands of migrant women and children into sexual slavery.
Instead, the rally is elevating a new message. The coalition is describing the border problem as a humanitarian crisis, and it is providing a new rationale for addressing it that should resonate with every Texan. “Americans don’t want to remain complicit in the human misery that is spreading North from our Southern Border,” explains Mark Meckler, who is helping to organize the event.
The "How Many More” event is led by a collection of conservatives who are hoping to form a movement that can—at least eventually—include those on the political Left and non-partisans. The hope is that the movement will form around a common cause to prevent suffering by shutting down those who are causing it.
In fact, the Mexican cartels are most responsible for the crisis. According to experts who will speak at the event, the cartels control every aspect of the southern border that stretches nearly 2,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean across four states to the Gulf of Mexico. While the federal government claims “operational control” over the border, this is an obfuscation that no voter actually believes. As a result, the coalition plans to move away from railing at such distortions to a more effective strategy of imposing on elected officials to take specific actions.
The movement is having an impact. Governor Greg Abbott has already declared that cartel activities constitute an invasion—an important declaration that triggers constitutional authority for the state—and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has promised to pass HB 20, a bill to create a new Border Security Unit with new powers to repel incursions. These are two actions the event planners say they intend to compel state lawmakers to support.
The other two demands, that the cartels be designated as terror organizations and their assets be seized, require additional actions by Congress.
No Texan can deny that the situation on our border is a crisis, and no one can be satisfied with the non-response of our state and federal governments. While Republicans claim that Democrats don’t care and Democrats claim Republicans care for the wrong reasons, the coalition has determined that showing compassion by forcing action is the only useful approach.