Greg Abbott (R) vowed that the state would begin “building the border wall” and increase arrests of migrants trying to enter the country in the coming days, proclaiming that “change is needed to fix the border crisis problem.”.

Speaking at a Thursday summit focused on border security in Del Rio, Tex., Abbott said he planned to restart building a border “barrier” after construction was halted when President Biden took office.

He said that more information on “building the border wall in the state of Texas” would be provided next week, which prompted a standing ovation.

“The ability to arrest will be enhanced by building border barriers,” he said.

“This wall business has been extremely divisive,” said Saenz, whose city is about a mile from the border.

The governor’s announcement about the wall and the increase in arrests, which were decried by legal advocates as “unlawful,” comes as border arrests have soared during the early part of the Biden administration.

Abbott has repeatedly touted his actions on immigration and border security in recent months, often blaming migrants or the Biden administration for issues at the southern border.

The governor said his “enhanced border security plan” would arrest anyone “who enters our state illegally and is found trespassing, engaged in vandalism, criminal mischief or smuggling.” Saenz told The Post it was his impression that Abbott “understood the fence was going to be damaged, but that’s exactly what he wanted.” (Abbott did not specifically describe this in his announcement.).