Texas will work more closely with federal and local governments as part of a new anti-terrorism initiative under the direction of Governor Greg Abbott, including a planned strengthening of the Department of Public Safety's Texas Anti-Terrorism Task Force.
The Governor's office said on Tuesday the DPS is instructed to work more closely than ever with federal agencies, including FBI field offices and US Homeland Security, to "identify, locate, and assess potential threats" from possible terrorists.
There will also be a reinforcement of existing law enforcement cooperation, too, with the Governor expressing increased concern about "Special Interest Migrants," adding that "in the past 4 years, hundreds of immigrants who entered the country illegally were on the terrorist watch list."
A stated goal of the new initiative is to beef up the number of intelligence agents who could provide assistance to state, county and local authorities in keeping up with possible terrorism threats and "targeted violence."
DPS also plans to work with local law enforcement on new training, field exercises, communicating with private sector owners, and keeping critical infrastructure operators informed as part of an increased coordination effort for finding, sharing and acting on intelligence, reports of suspicious activities and outright security threats.
"Terrorism has no place in Texas," Gov. Abbott said on Tuesday, calling for new commitment to prevention and protection of local communities.