The Texas oil thefts are linked to illegal immigration. It’s confirmed. They are stealing critical infrastructure, as Sentinel reported on September 6. The Washington Examiner reported it in May!
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) plans to introduce a bill in the next few days that is one step in a long-term effort to go after the organized crime networks. They are carrying out costly, wide-scale attacks on large and small oil companies. This is a region that is the country’s largest oil producer.
“The locals know about this, but they just don’t have the resources to combat against it because it’s very sophisticated,” Gonzales told The Washington Examiner, which reported in May. He added that the individuals behind oil theft are part of massive cross-border criminal networks, not simply “one-offs” or a small group of people.
Cartels are stealing in the Permian Basin, America’s highest-producing oil field.
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“They have these vans that they cut the bottom out of, and they drive over the the cap of where the tanks are off to the side,” said Gonzales. “They’ll cut the lock, and they’ll siphon out hundreds of gallons of gas from the gas station.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before House lawmakers in April that oil theft in Texas was a growing concern. The FBI was tracking it, given its impact on a “form of critical infrastructure.”
The FBI seems to know about everything and is aware of everyone trying to kill Donald Trump, for example. Wray knows about this too. So why aren’t they staking it out and arresting them? They are fine staking our cowboys who bring their cattle to watering holes. They’re great at tracking down religious people protesting Planned Parenthood and J6 Grandmas with Stage 4 cancer.
The bill will do the following:
Gonzales’s bill will also permanently fund the regional oil theft task force that brings together local, tribal, state, and federal police to investigate — a task force that can only do so much without federal dollars to fund as much work needs to be done. The bill would open up federal funding to boost local police funding.
“When you have these collaborations — local, state, and federal — that’s where you get the job done, where everybody’s kind of on the same page,” said Gonzales. “They’re sharing intelligence, they’re sharing resources, and then when they go take someone down, it’s actually moving the needle.
They steal caps and pipes that prevent explosions.
We shouldn’t have to pass a bill for this. We need a bill to arrest cartels who aren’t arrested because they are coming illegally or because we aren’t putting the effort into it. These people are terrorists endangering our national security; where is the federal government? Too busy with pronouns?
Good morning, West Texas!
Proud to kick off this year’s Law Enforcement Oil and Gas Investigative Conference.
Oil theft is a growing problem in the Permian Basin. Glad to have met with so many dedicated LEOs who are working around the clock to prevent this type of crime.
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) September 17, 2024
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