Republican county officials in South Texas want Gov. Greg Abbott to deport migrants. Only the federal government can do that.

Department of Public Safety agents arrest an undocumented migrant after he was caught on private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, on Nov. 9, 2021. (Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune)

County officials in South Texas on Tuesday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to declare an “invasion” under the Texas and United States constitutions and begin using state resources to expel migrants, despite deportations being a responsibility of the federal government.

Over the last two years, the county officials said, their residents have suffered from the impact of the large number of migrants who have made their way through their counties on their way to the interior of the country, resulting in property damage, increased crime and danger for their citizens.