By: Perry, et al. S.R. No. 539                 SENATE RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The State of Texas and the United States federal   government are charged with protecting 1,254 miles of land along   Texas' border with Mexico, a job that has become increasingly   violent as this state has succumbed to an invasion by foreign   drug cartels; and          WHEREAS, These foreign drug cartels bring terror to Texas   communities by flooding the streets with deadly narcotics,   forcing women and children into human and sex trafficking,   enriching themselves on the misery and enslavement of Texans, and   butchering and murdering anyone who tries to stop them; and          WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2021, the U.S. Customs and Border   Protection reports over 172,000 pounds of illegal narcotics have   been seized from foreign drug cartels in Texas; and          WHEREAS, Specifically, federal seizures of fentanyl in   Texas have dramatically increased by more then 750 percent this   fiscal year; and          WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2021, the U.S. Border Patrol has   already arrested more than 5,800 noncitizens that were   determined to have prior criminal records; and          WHEREAS, The Office of the Texas Attorney General   estimates that there are 234,000 victims of labor trafficking and   79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking at any given   time in Texas; and          WHEREAS, State and local law enforcement agencies are   forced to contend with extensive and dangerous criminal activity   resulting from, or associated with, foreign drug cartels,   thereby putting Texas law enforcement officials in danger and   draining resources away from protecting our communities; and          WHEREAS, The State of Texas has attempted to address the   problem by adding hundreds of commissioned law enforcement   officers to the border, purchasing state-of-the-art helicopters,   conducting border security surge operations, and paying millions   of dollars for overtime, training, equipment, and technology for   local law enforcement; and          WHEREAS, Law enforcement agencies working together in   Texas have seized billions of dollars in illegal drugs and   hundreds of millions in cash, along with thousands of firearms,   and weapons, all related to the invasion of drug cartels; and          WHEREAS, Texas has repeatedly asked the federal government   to send more border security resources to the state, requesting   an increase in manpower of border patrol agents and the   deployment of National Guard troops; and          WHEREAS, Texas prisons house violent offenders that claim   foreign citizenship, and the state bears the cost of housing and   prosecuting those offenders; and          WHEREAS, Texas taxpayers have spent billions compensating   for the lack of federal resources provided to the state; and          WHEREAS, The inability of the federal government to   develop a comprehensive plan that would address this border   security problem puts an unfair and unreasonable burden on the   entire state, but in particular on Texas border communities; and          WHEREAS, Under Article I, Section 10 of the United States   Constitution, Texas is entitled as a sovereign state of the   United States of America to protect itself against this current   foreign drug cartel invasion, which grants the State of Texas the   power to defend the state when the state has been invaded, or is   "in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay"; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the Senate of 87th Texas Legislature hereby   respectfully request the federal government to immediately   declare violent foreign drug cartels as foreign terrorist   organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and   Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1189; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate hereby find that the State   of Texas has been invaded by foreign drug cartels and that the   citizens of this state are in danger of irreparable harm; and, be   it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate hereby encourage the Texas   Military Department and all applicable state resources as   needed, to use any and all authority under Article I, Section 10   of the United States Constitution to repel this violent foreign   drug cartel invasion, and that such authority should be invoked   with the intention of utilizing such authority in the most   peaceful manner possible consistent with bringing this invasion   to a conclusion at the earliest possible moment.